FAMILIES of those who died in the Iraq war joined former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other activists last night to call for the withdrawal of the knighthood awarded to Tony Blair.

Campaigners spoke out against the award for the warmonger former prime minister who was responsible for sending British forces to invade Iraq in 2003 and many thousands of deaths.

More than one million people have signed a petition seeking the withdrawal of the title.

Peter Brierley and Rose Gentle, who both lost sons in wars sanctioned by the former prime minister, spoke at the meeting.

Mr Brierely, whose son Lance Corporal Shaun Brierley died in 2003, said: “Hearing Blair on the radio saying the world is a better place since Saddam was removed and then seeing the images from Afghanistan where children are dying and a father is trying to sell his daughter proves that he has absolutely no compassion and no grasp of reality.

“To award such a man with the highest honour in the land is a disgrace and will further damage Britain’s reputation around the world.”

Stop the War convener Lindsey German said: “The massive backlash to the news that Tony Blair is set to receive a knighthood just proves the strength of feeling against him and the wars he was responsible for.”

Ms German said that the British public was “overwhelmingly” against the award of this honour.

The February 2003 protests against the invasion of Iraq saw demonstrations in hundreds of cities across the world with up to 10 million people thought to have taken part.