I SPENT six long hours listening to Tony Blair insisting he acted honestly in invading Iraq – but emerged still believing it all falls apart in just 45 minutes.

There were so many omissions, evasions and distortions in the former Prime Minister’s evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry, it is impossible to do them justice in next 500 words or so.

Therefore I will leave to others the implausible answers about the war’s legality, the clear commitment to illegal “regime change” and the pretence that Saddam Hussein’s threat was “growing”.

Neither will I linger on Mr Blair’s apparent desire to start bombing Tehran tonight – other than to express relief that this “Dr Strangelove” is long gone from Downing Street.

Instead, I find myself coming back to the notorious “45-minute” claim, which was so crucial in persuading the public, and Labour MPs, that Saddam was a threat to Britain.

On Friday, Mr Blair admitted the claim referred to battlefield weapons – not missiles that could be fired abroad – but insisted he had not known that in September 2002 when the dossier was published.

He told the inquiry, airily, that he “didn’t focus on it a great deal at the time” – arguing it was of little significance.

Yet, contrary to Mr Blair’s insistence that the dossier was “dull and cautious”, the headlines screamed “Brits 45 Mins From Doom” and “45 Minutes From Attack”.

Robin Cook – who resigned over the war – revealed he was briefed by John Scarlett, the intelligence chief responsible for the dossier, that the weapons were for battlefield use only, and not capable of “mass destruction”.

Furthermore, Mr Cook discussed the matter with his Prime Minister, when – according to the former Foreign Secretary’s diaries – Mr Blair appeared to agree they were shortrange weapons.

Asked if he was worried they might be used against invading British troops, Mr Blair apparently replied: “Yes, but all the effort he has had to put into concealment makes it difficult for him to assemble them quickly for use.”

Now, even the quick-witted Mr Blair would struggle to square the dossier’s “ready within 45 minutes” claim with his “difficult for him to assemble them quickly for use” statement.

But, sadly – no, disgracefully – the inquiry panel failed to grill him on the obvious implication that he knew the truth, but chose to keep it from the Cabinet, MPs and the rest of us. To lie, if you like.

Mr Cook died in 2005, which means we are relying on the Chilcot team to investigate this key issue – a task which, on last Friday’s evidence, it is simply incapable of performing.

Is there any hope that when Mr Blair is recalled, perhaps within weeks, he will finally be asked these vital questions?

IT is more than fair to accuse Gordon Brown of a “deathbed conversion” to voting reform after he announced a bid to change the law to ensure a referendum following the looming General Election.

But how pathetic of David Cameron to call it a “fiddle with the electoral system” when the “alternative vote” system is widely used abroad and the decision will be made by us, the voters.

The Tory leader wants us to make 2010 the “year of change” – but appears to be scared of the voters on this one.