Chilcot says Iraq report will be published 'as soon as possible'

The chairman of the much-awaited inquiry into the Iraq War has said he will name the date for the publication of his report "as soon as he is able".

Sir John Chilcot has come under fire for the long drawn out process of producing his report which then prime minister Gordon Brown said would take "at least a year" when he commissioned it in 2009.

It has been delayed by a process called "Maxwellisation", under which those who may face criticism - believed to include former prime minister Tony Blair - are given the opportunity to respond before publication.

In a letter to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Sir John said he had now received the last Maxwellisation response.

But further work will be required to evaluate the "detailed and substantial" submissions and determine how much more time would be needed to finalise the report, he said.

Sir John has been threatened with legal action from families of Iraq War casualties over his failure to set a timetable for publication.

Last month David Cameron said he shared the families' "immense frustration" and urged the inquiry chairman to "get on with it".