Iraq service: Why was Blair given seat ahead of bereaved families?

I’ve just been chatting to a mother who had a son killed in Afghanistan.

At an event to mark the 25 year-long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan – you’d have thought she’d be among the first on the invitees list.

Jacqueline Mortimer’s son died in Helmand Province in 2009 when the Afghan soldier they were training turned on his British mentors and shot five of them dead.

Throughout the two conflicts in Iraq and the one in Afghanistan, a total of 682 British military lives were lost – but not all of the families of those bereaved were invited to the service in front of The Queen and other members of the Royal Family including Princes William and Harry.

Which begs the question: why not?

Jacqueline Mortimer did attend today – after seeking a place for herself and her husband from the Ministry of Defence.

The MoD did say that any family member of who’d suffered a loss in the conflicts could be there if they so wished.

But you wonder why 682 chairs were not block-booked for at least one member of each family – and why those families’ invitation were at the top of the pile?

Tony Blair had a seat (not uncontroversially) along with other former Prime Ministers.

And when I spoke to Mrs Mortimer – just after she’d placed a cross at the memorial to remember her son – she too couldn’t understand why the confusion over invitations had even happened.

She also spoke to Princess Anne at the reception afterwards.

She wiped away tears as we spoke.

This conflict may now be over but it’s clear that the pain for so many family – is not.