Tony Blair defends knighthood

London: British former prime minister Tony Blair said on Sunday his leadership should be remembered for more than the Iraq war as he rejected fierce criticism over his receipt of a knighthood.

The Labour party’s most successful leader, who won three successive general elections, was made Sir Tony in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honours list.

The announcement was defended by the Conservative government, but several online petitions want it rescinded. One on change.org, accusing Blair of "war crimes", has drawn more than one million signatories.

Blair said he had accepted not just for himself but for the "dedicated, committed people" who had worked with him in government and "provided a lot of change to the country". "And of course there would be people who object to it strongly. That’s to be expected," he told Times Radio.