British PM Blair's top lawyer to step down

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) The top British government lawyer who gave Prime Minister Tony Blair the green light for the war in Iraq is to step down after six years, his office said today.

Attorney General Peter Goldsmith faced a political storm over allegations he changed his mind on the legality of the US-led invasion after intense government pressure.

He also faced controversy over a police investigation into whether political parties awarded state honours in return for loans and the scrapping last year of an inquiry into a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia.

The 57-year-old father of four, who left a career as a barrister to join the government, will step down next week at the same time as Blair, who hands over to his Chancellor Gordon Brown after 10 years.

In an exchange of letters with the prime minister, Goldsmith said he was ''honoured and proud'' to have served for six years.

''It hardly needs saying that during that period we have faced a host of challenges, many of them raising important legal questions,'' he wrote. ''These include two conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.'' Blair said Goldsmith, a friend of the outgoing prime minister, had acted ''at all times with integrity and professionalism''.

''After six years in such a demanding post, I fully understand why you have decided that the time is right to move on,'' Blair wrote.

Brown said Goldsmith had made an immense contribution to the government and Britain. However, an unsourced front page report in Saturday's Guardian newspaper said Brown was expected to oust the attorney general and may scrap the role altogether.

Blair, US President George W Bush's closest ally over the war, has repeatedly said there was no question that Goldsmith changed his mind on Iraq.

The row erupted in 2005 when a secret document leaked to the media suggested Goldsmith cast doubt on the case for war, only 10 days before he gave the go-ahead in parliament.

The furore rocked Blair's government before a 2005 general election and fuelled opposition attacks on his government's trust and integrity.

Goldsmith repeatedly denied claims that he changed his stance, saying he wouldn't have hesitated to give negative advice if that had been his conclusion.

REUTERS GP PM1355