Blair to face hour-long TV grilling

The former prime minister will be out of the country for the book’s publication on Wednesday, having been invited to a White House dinner by President Barack Obama in his role as Middle East peace envoy.

But before he flies out to the US, Mr Blair is to be interviewed by Marr, the broadcaster and former political journalist, for a special programme to be aired on BBC2 on Wednesday evening.

The grilling is billed by the BBC as the ex-PM’s “first major political interview” since 2007, when he left Number 10 and handed over the reins to Gordon Brown.

Combined with the publication of his book, A Journey, it is likely to put Labour’s 13 years in power under fresh scrutiny as the party’s members prepare to choose their new leader.

Ballot papers in the contest to succeed Mr Brown, who quit after May’s general election, will start dropping on doormats the same day.

Mr Blair’s memoirs have been shrouded in secrecy ahead of publication day. He and publisher Random House have resisted the prospect of selling serialisation rights to a national newspaper and there have been no authoritative leaks of the book’s contents.

However, Mr Blair is widely expected to seek to justify the invasion of Iraq and his closeness with former US president George W Bush, the two aspects of his premiership for which he attracted most criticism.

Besides Iraq, the book will also be pored over by political observers for new details about his often fraught relationship with Mr Brown, his chancellor and successor as premier.

The only confirmed book-signing event Mr Blair is scheduled to attend in the UK is on Wednesday, September 8 at Waterstones’ London Piccadilly branch.

Security will be tight amid threats from anti-war protesters that they will picket the event.

Customers have been told they will be stripped of their mobile phones and other personal possessions.