Geoff Hoon ‘told to burn memo that said Iraq invasion could be illegal’

Defence secretary under Tony Blair claims he was told to burn legal advice written by attorney general

Tony Blair's former defence secretary Geoff Hoon has claimed he was told to burn a memo from the attorney general that cast doubt on the legality of the Iraq war.

In revelations that critics say cast further doubt on the decision to award the former prime minister a knighthood, Hoon recalled in extracts from his recently published memoir that Blair's chief of staff had instructed him to burn the document.