Tony Blair has sidestepped demands to make a formal apology for the incorrect intelligence used to justify the Iraq war.

Prime minister's question time yesterday saw the Conservatives try to capitalise on Jack Straw's decision to withdraw claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Tory leader Michael Howard repeatedly called on the prime minister to apologise for giving a "misleading" account of the intelligence.

"The prime minister did not accurately report the intelligence he received to the country," he said. "Will he now say sorry for that?"

Blair, however, would not apologise for removing Saddam Hussein.

"I have made it abundantly clear and do so again that I take full responsibility and indeed apologise for any information given in good faith which has turned out to be wrong. That is entirely proper," he said.

"What I do not in any way accept is that there was any deception of anyone.

"That is what has been looked into by four separate independent inquiries and in each case that allegation has been found to be wrong."

"I wish he would stop playing politics with this issue. It would be more helpful if he would back our troops in Iraq," he added.

The Independent reports that attorney general Lord Goldsmith is now facing calls to resign over his legal advice to the government on the war.

And Peter Mandelson has said that the United Nations should have played a bigger role.

Tony Blair's close ally said: "Who can doubt the insurgence in Iraq would today be a lesser problem if a second resolution had been agreed and had the UN been in the driving seat from the start and throughout? What a difference it would have made."