**Former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith is set to answer questions about the legality of the 2003 Iraq war later.**He will appear before the Iraq inquiry in London, where he is likely to be asked about his advice, which paved the way for UK involvement in the invasion.
Critics maintain it should not have happened without a second UN resolution, but ministers say the war was justified.
Tony Blair, prime minister at the time, is to give evidence on Friday.
Initial assessment
The legality, or otherwise, of the invasion will be the focus of the all-day hearing with Lord Goldsmith.
On Tuesday, Elizabeth Wilmshurst, a Foreign Office lawyer who resigned in protest days before the war started, described the legal decision-making process as “lamentable” and lacking in transparency.
She said it was “extraordinary” that Lord Goldsmith had only been asked for his opinion about the war just days before British troops went into action.
In his final legal opinion on the eve of war, Lord Goldsmith advised ministers the “combined effect” of existing UN resolutions on Iraq dating back to 1991 meant the invasion was lawful.
However, critics of the war say the attorney general reached his decision just days after offering a much more finely balanced view of the legal issues involved in an initial assessment.
The Iraq inquiry is looking at the build-up, conduct and aftermath of the war.
It is expected to report its findings next year.