Scandal in London: the British demand to deprive Tony Blair of the knighthood

The petition, according to the BBC, says Sir Tony "caused irreparable damage to the United Kingdom Constitution and society" during his time in power.

"Tony Blair was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1997 to 2007. He is personally responsible for the deaths of countless innocent civilians and military personnel in various conflicts. Only for this he should be held accountable for war crimes. Tony Blair - the least suitable candidate to be at least something awarded by Her Majesty the Queen", - declare the authors of the petition.

In 2009, US President George W. Bush presented Tony Blair with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, for "efforts to promote democracy, human rights, and peace abroad."

At the time, Bush called his military ally in Iraq "an outstanding leader who dealt with historical challenges".

A report by Sir John Chilcot, Chairman of the British Commission of Inquiry into the Coalition Invasion and Aftermath, argues that Sir Tony's government decided to join the US-led invasion before all peaceful options for resolving the conflict were exhausted.

The document also says that Saddam Hussein posed no real threat to British interests and that, in the end, the war in Iraq could have been avoided.

The petition has already been signed by more than 600 thousand people who agree with the claims against Tony Blair.

British politicians, however, defended the former prime minister. Thus, the leader of the Labor Party, Cyrus Starmer, said that Sir Tony earned a knighthood with his work. Starmer himself received a knighthood back in 2014 for services to the law and criminal justice.

Conservative Health Minister Maggie Trope said it was right to honor previous prime ministers.

Of the four other living former prime ministers, only John Major has been knighted, and Gordon Brown , David Cameron, and Theresa May have yet to make the Queen's awards list.

Blair declared that it is a great honor for him to become a member of the Order of the Garter, the oldest and highest order of chivalry in England. And he simply kept silent about Iraq and Saddam.