Tony Blair's appearance at the Iraq Inquiry has been hotly anticipated A public ballot will be held later for people wanting seats to watch Tony Blair appear before the Iraq Inquiry.Mr Blair, prime minister at the time of the war with Iraq in 2003, will appear at the London hearing for one day later this month or in early February. The ballot is for 60 seats, with a third of the places being set aside for bereaved families of service personnel or other Britons killed in Iraq. Mr Blair will give evidence for six hours during a morning and afternoon. So far officials at the inquiry have only said that the former prime minister will be called sometime in the two weeks after January the 25th. Tony Blair's former chief of staff in Downing Street, Jonathan Powell, will be a witness at the inquiry on Monday afternoon. He will be followed later in the week by the former defence secretary Geoff Hoon and Justice Secretary Jack Straw, who was serving as foreign secretary in 2003. Last week Mr Blair's former director of communications Alastair Campbell appeared before the panel.[Read more...]