British ex-Deputy Prime Minister now says Iraq war was illegal

London, July 10  John Prescott, who was British Deputy Prime Minister during Britain's participation in Iraq war, said on Sunday that it was an illegal war and violated international laws.

Prescott said he changed his mind about the legality of the action four days after the publication of the Chilcot Report, which said that London ordered the military intervention in Iraq before all other options were exhausted, Efe news reported.

"In 2004, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that as regime change was the prime aim of the Iraq War, it was illegal," he said, adding that "with great sadness and anger" he "now believes him to be right".

Remembering the days before the beginning of the operations, Prescott said the then Attorney General Peter Goldsmith assured members of the government that the attack was legal, but "provided no documentation to justify it".

On Wednesday, Tony Blair, who was the British Prime Minister during the Iraq war, admitted that the intelligence on which the attack was based was flawed. But he insisted no lies were told and that he believed the right move had been made.

The Chilcot Inquiry, headed by Sir John Chilcot, is a British public inquiry into the nation's role in the Iraq war.