Salmond: Blair Already Trying To Distract From Chilcot

25 May 2016, 14:52 | Updated: 15 September 2016, 16:52

Alex Salmond claims former Prime Minister Tony Blair is trying to distract attention from the upcoming Chilcot Report by calling for a war with ISIS.

Speaking to Iain Dale on LBC, Salmond seemed deeply unimpressed with Blair's call for a "ground war" in Syria to take the fight to Islamic State.

Responding to a question from Shane in Blackheath, Salmond called it a "classic Blair tactic...getting your excuses in before Chilcot comes out", accusing the former PM of "not learning any lessons from blundering into Iraq in 2003."

"Here is the man who is facing in the Chilcot Report a denunciation of his actions, according to the leaks we've seen in the Sunday Times...now happily saying: my advice is send in the boys, despite the number of dead bodies that he is responsible for.

"You would think that somebody would learn something from the activities in the past.

"Daesh is there because of the actions of Tony Blair and George Bush."

Salmond also accused Blair of an ulterior motive in offering his take on ISIS.

"I know this man like the back of my hand, I know every move he makes," claimed the former First Minister. "Why he did he surface yesterday?

"Tony Blair wants you and I to be debating whether or not we should follow his advice in Syria, as opposed to debating what we should be debating: him finally being called to account for his role in Iraq."

Watch the full phone-in with Alex Salmond here: