Former London mayor Ken Livingstone has come under fire from Labour MPs for suggesting Tony Blair was to blame for the 7/7 terror attacks in the capital.

Mr Livingstone, who is co-chairing Labour's review of its defence policy, told BBC1's Question Time that the former prime minister's decision to ignore security advice that joining the war in Iraq would increase the terrorist threat had "killed 52 Londoners".

The four suicide bombers who attacked London's Tube and bus network in 2005 "gave their lives" in protest at the Iraq war, he said.

His comments were branded "shameful" and "despicable" by two Labour MPs.

Mr Livingstone said: "When Tony Blair was told by the security services, 'if you go into Iraq, we will be a target for terrorism', and he ignored that advice, and it killed 52 Londoners.

"Go and look at what they put on their website. They did those killings because of our invasion of Iraq.

"They gave their lives, they said what they believed, they took Londoners lives in protest against our invasion of Iraq.

"And we were lied to by Tony Blair about Iraq, there were no weapons of mass destruction."

Labour MP Ian Austin responded on Twitter: "Ken Livingstone just blamed Tony Blair for London bombings. Total disgrace. The people responsible are the terrorists. I think it's shameful."

And another MP, Mike Gapes, said: "Despicable Livingstone has sunk to a new low. Terrorism never the fault of perpetrators. It's always Blair's fault."