"I'm quite sure we did the right thing in removing Saddam Hussein," Blair told parliament's liaison committee, which is made up of the chairmen of all the House of Commons watchdog select committees.

Blair also staunchly defended his government's presentation of its case for military action, insisting that neither the parliament nor the public was misled over the threat posed by Saddam.

Brushing aside questions hanging over the government's case for war because of the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Blair said: "There is no doubt at all that we will find evidence of programmes of weapons of mass destruction."

WAR.WIRE