SOURCE: TELEGRAPH

A spokesman for the Attorney General would not be drawn on whether Mr Wright would oppose the attempted prosecution, but did say: “He is seeking to intervene in this case because it raises issues about the scope of criminal law.”

The Guardian, which has seen legal documents on the reported intervention, said the planned move by the Attorney General follows a ruling that Mr Blair had immunity from the attempt to bring a criminal charge against him on the issue, and that pursuing a prosecution could “involve details being disclosed under the Official Secrets Act”.

The private prosecution – brought forward by General Abdul-Wahid Shannan ar-Ribat, the former chief of staff of the Iraqi Army – is in relation to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and seeks the trial of Mr Blair, then foreign secretary Jack Straw, and the attorney general at the time, Lord Goldsmith. It reportedly seeks their conviction for the crime of “aggression” and is based on the findings of the Chilcot report into the war.