The prime minister would be legally justified in declaring war on Iraq because of the "combined effect" of three UN resolutions, the attorney general said yesterday.

Lord Goldsmith said that the case rested on Resolutions 678, 687 and 1441. All three had been adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows the use of force.

The publication of his nine-point statement, a summary of the advice that he has given Tony Blair was unprecedented.

His spokeswoman said that he had acted "because of the enormous amount of public interest and importance of the issue".