DID Tony Blair take Britain into an illegal war in Iraq? It is a question of huge importance, destined to cloud Mr Blair's legacy as Prime Minister because it is simply one of the most damning allegations that can be levelled at the leader of a country.

And because it is such a momentous question, and because so many people have lingering doubts about the answer, we welcome the fact that the Attorney General has been ordered to disclose further information about his advice to the Government in the days before war.

We understand the need for legal advice to the Government to remain confidential in all but the most exceptional circumstances. But these are truly exceptional circumstances which go to the heart of Britain's relationship with the UN. Lord Goldsmith originally advised the Government to seek a further UN resolution before committing to war. Within ten days, he had changed his position and advised that a further resolution was not legally required. It is the detailed considerations which led to that shift in position that need to be understood for the public interest to be properly served.

Saddam Hussein was thankfully ousted and democracy at least given a chance. But the fact remains that the basic premise of the Government's justification for the attack on Iraq was flawed because the promised weapons of mass destruction were never found.

The British people therefore need as much information as possible to judge whether their government was right to act as it did.

And that includes full details of the legal advice Mr Blair was given in the build-up to the defining moment of his premiership.