Senior judge says Iraq invasion broke international law

By Europe correspondent Emma Alberici

Source: ABC

One of Britain's most senior judges has attacked Britain and the United States over their invasion of Iraq, describing it as a serious violation of international law.

In a speech to the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, Lord Bingham accused Britain and the US of acting like world vigilantes.

It was his first major address since retiring as the senior law Lord.

He rejected the then attorney-general's defence of the 2003 invasion of Iraq as fundamentally flawed, saying that the US, the UK and other states such as Australia had violated international law and the rule of law.

The conservatives and the Liberal Democrats in the UK continue to press for an independent inquiry into the circumstances around the invasion.