Tony Blair has denied he is holding up the publication of highly-anticipated report into the Iraq war, amid allegations it is being "sexed down".

The former Prime Minister hit out at his detractors accusing them of politically motivated speculation after it emerged the findings will not be made public until after May's general election.

But a former Labour shadow minister questioned whether "powerful people" had been able to delay the report.

The families of those who served in Iraq were among those who demanded answers.

Campaigner Rose Gentle, from Glasgow, who lost her son Gordon in Iraq in 2004, said she was "disgusted" at the latest delay.

"It should have been published a long time ago," she said. "We need answers on why it's taking so long.

"It's just more grief for the families. The longer this goes on, the more it prolongs our heartache. We need answers and we need closure."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has written to the inquiry's chairman Sir John Chilcot warning that the situation was "increasingly unacceptable".

Sir John was also warned by Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg that the delays risked giving the impression the report was being watered down.

"There is a real danger the public will assume the report is being 'sexed down' by individuals rebutting criticisms," he said, referencing the "sexed up" allegations that surrounded the case for the UK's involvement in the war.

The main figures mentioned in the report have the right to see and scrutinise the findings before publication.

Mr Blair insisted that he was ""frustrated" that the inquiry had yet to report.

The ex-Labour leader said he would welcome the chance to "come out and say 'This is why I did what I did and why I believe it was the right thing to do'."

He also accused opponents of "playing politics".

"We're limbering up for an election now, there's a risk of (this report) becoming politicised," he said.

The inquiry started in 2009, under then Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

At the time it was expected to take around a year.

Sir John admitted that it would still take "some further months" for the report to come out.

He warned: "Until we have received and evaluated responses from all those who have been given the opportunity to respond, I cannot give an accurate estimate for how long it will then take to complete our work."

But he did announce that he had agreed the publication of 29 notes from Mr Blair to former US President George W Bush "subject to a very small number of essential redactions."

MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee have asked Sir John to appear before them in the next fortnight to explain the delays.

Labour MP for Hackney Diane Abbott told MPs: "The public will not understand if powerful people who may be named in that report would be able to delay publication year after year as seems to have happened with Chilcot.".

Ms Sturgeon told Sir John she was "deeply disappointed by your statement".

"The Iraq War resulted in the deaths of 179 UK service personnel and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. In 2014 the Royal United Services Institute estimated that the net additional cost of UK military operations in Iraq was around £9.6 billion," she wrote to him.

"It is increasingly difficult for the public to escape the conclusion that the process is being dragged out to delay publication until after the general election.

"I would therefore urge you in the interests of transparency, accountability and democracy, to reconsider this matter and impose an early deadline that will ensure publication ahead of the general election."

Both the Liberal Democrats and Ukip have urged voters to sign a petition urging publication before the election.