Families reacted with fury yesterday at learning that Tony Blair will attend a service honouring soldiers killed in Afghanistan . They say the former prime minister has blood on his hands after sending their sons to war and should be facing an inquiry instead . Mr Blair and his successor Gordon Brown will be among the 2,000-strong congregation at a commemoration service at St Paul ’ s Cathedral in London . Meet the troops : Tony Blair poses with British forces in 2003 after he took the country to war in Iraq . Politicians , royalty , military chiefs and serving soldiers are on the guest list . But fewer than half of the 2,000 places have been given to the families of the 453 war dead – who are limited to two seats each . Relatives said it was ‘ horrific ’ that Mr Blair and Mr Brown should have a place , while many family members of those who died did not . Bob Wright , 68 , whose son Corporal Mark Wright was killed in an unmarked minefield in September 2006 , said : ‘ He ( Tony Blair ) is the last person I would want to see . He would have some cheek going . He took the country to war , and cost all of those lives and he ’ s got blood on his hands. ’ Grandmother Joan Humphreys , 70 , said it was ‘ horrific ’ Mr Blair had been invited but she had not . Explosion : Private Kevin Elliott was killed by a bomb in Afghanistan in 2009 at the age of 24 . The pensioner , whose 24-year-old grandson Kevin Elliott was killed by a bomb in Afghanistan in 2009 , added : ‘ Kevin was my grandson , we were very close and I haven ’ t been invited but Tony Blair has . ‘ I know mothers who haven ’ t been invited and he just simply shouldn ’ t have a place. ’ Another guest , Ian Sadler , said Gordon Brown should not have been invited either . Mr Sadler said his 21-year-old son Jack was in a vehicle that had inadequate armour when he was killed by a roadside bomb in 2007 , while Mr Brown was PM . He said : ‘ I ’ m hoping Gordon Brown doesn ’ t stand up and say anything because he has lots of questions to answer. ’ Roadside bomb : Jack Sadler was in a vehicle that had inadequate armour when he was killed by a roadside bomb in 2007 . Mr Blair sent troops to Afghanistan to oust the Taliban and kill Osama Bin Laden following the September 11 attacks in 2001 . But the decision sparked widespread condemnation after the war dragged on for 13 years and led to hundreds of British deaths . There was outrage when he sent UK troops to Iraq in 2003 . Gordon Brown took over as Prime Minister in 2007 , with the last of Britain ’ s troops withdrawing from Iraq in 2011 and Afghanistan by the end of 2014 . Around 90 per cent of those attending next Friday ’ s service to mark the end of the Afghan campaign are either current serving personnel , veterans or family members of those who have died . Afghan hero : Corporal Mark Wright was killed in an unmarked minefield in September 2006 . His father Bob Wright , 68 , said : 'He ( Tony Blair ) is the last person I would want to see ' The Queen , the Prince of Wales , the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will also attend , along with defence and foreign secretaries from 2001 to 2014 , Nato allies and charities . Mr Blair and Mr Brown were invited by the Ministry of Defence . A spokesman for the Stop the War campaign said : ‘ It is obscene that Tony Blair is taking the place of what could be a family member of someone who died in Afghanistan. ’ In October 2009 Mr Blair was accused of having ‘ blood on his hands ’ as he attended a commemoration service marking the end of the Iraq campaign . Peter Brierley , whose son Shaun was killed in Iraq in 2003 , refused to shake the former PM ’ s outstretched hand .
Mr Blair and successor Gordon Brown will be among 2,000-strong crowd . Relatives said it was ‘ horrific ’ that Mr Blair and Mr Brown have a place . Fewer than half the places have been given to families of the 453 war dead .