The war on Iraq: The day the legacy died

The 27th of June will mark the end of an era.

Tony Blair will step down as Prime Minister and is likely to be replaced by Gordon Brown and the protracted Labour leadership issue will finally be resolved.

However, Blair may not be fondly remembered for one fundamental reason: Iraq.

Blair and New Labour swept to power in 1997 and promised that 'things could only get better' and domestically it did.

Cast your mind back over the Blair decade and there are numerous changes that were made for the good.

The Human Rights Act, the lowering of the homosexual age of consent to sixteen and the ban on foxhunting are just a few and in addition the economy has thrived under chancellor Brown.

As leader as a major world power mistakes will be made and there have been decisions that have been less than astute: the introduction of university top-up fees, the cash for honours scandal and the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes will all leave a stain on his legacy and rightly so.

However, due to the massive failure of his foreign policy, most of his good work will go unrewarded. The war on terror was a huge mistake but the decision to ally himself so closely with George Bush and the war in Iraq sealed his fate.

All leaders should be judged on all the major decisions that they had to make not just one issue but Blair will remain synonymous with the war, especially because he flew in the face of so much opposition.

It was his decision and it was his fault and even though he says he honestly believed he was doing the right thing I am sure he regrets it.

If not for Iraq, Blair may have gone down with Atlee as one of the greatest Labour prime ministers of all time.

Now he may just be remembered as George Bush's lap dog.