Families of British troops killed in Iraq have raised more than £80,000 in less than two days after launching a public appeal to fund legal action against Tony Blair.

More than 3,000 people dipped into their pockets after the Daily Mail announced that bereaved relatives were building a fighting fund to ‘hold to account’ the former Prime Minister.

Loved ones believe Mr Blair committed ‘misfeasance in public office’ by misleading Parliament to justify the disastrous 2003 war, which cost the lives of 179 UK servicemen and women.

In an incredible show of support for the Iraq War Families Campaign Group, more than half the £150,000 target has already been reached.

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More than 2,400 people have dipped into their pockets after the Daily Mail revealed bereaved relatives were building a fighting fund to 'hold to account' Tony Blair

Mr Blair has earned tens of millions of pounds since leaving Downing Street in 2007 through a consultancy and investment business – often operating in countries where he established contacts while at Number 10

Lance Corporal Thomas Keys was killed when an angry mob of 500 stormed a police station where he was training local police in Iraq

Following the damning conclusions of the Chilcot Report into the controversial conflict, the group is fighting to ‘bring to justice those responsible for the war and the deaths of our loved ones’.

Reg Keys, whose son Lance Corporal Tom Keys was murdered by an Iraqi mob in an ambush weeks after the invasion, said: ‘This total is humbling.

‘The British public remains supportive of our military forces, particularly if they seem to have been badly treated. Sir John Chilcot’s findings need to be acted upon – and so we thank them for their massive help.’

The families launched the campaign on Tuesday using the CrowdJustice website, which enables individuals and groups to come together to fund legal action.

It came after Sir John’s 2.6million-word report blasted Mr Blair for rushing into a catastrophic conflict on the back of flawed intelligence and amid questions over its legality, and for failing to plan for the aftermath of the invasion.

The families are pursuing a civil case because the International Criminal Court has refused to take action, the UK authorities will not bring a criminal prosecution, and an attempt by MPs to name-and-shame Mr Blair will not result in convictions.

Major Matthew Bacon who was killed when the armoured land rover he was travelling in was attacked by an improvised explosive device in Basrah City, Southern Iraq

Roger Bacon, Matthew's father, said: 'It is sickening he is indemnified. You feel this in the pit of your stomach. We will just have to swallow it - as difficult as it is to swallow.'

Major Bacon's coffin is carried by fellow soldiers at his repatriation service at RAF Lynham in September 2005

But while the families have to rely on public generosity to fund their legal case, if Mr Blair is hauled before the civil courts his legal bills will be paid by the taxpayer.

The former Prime Minister – a multi-millionaire – is indemnified for all his court costs, including possible damages. Under Cabinet Office rules, he will not have to pay a penny.

The Cabinet Manual, which is the rule book for the operation of government, states that ministers and former ministers ‘are indemnified by the Crown for any actions taken against them for things done or decisions made in the course of their ministerial duties’.

Roger Bacon, whose son Matthew, a major in the Intelligence Corps, was killed in a roadside bomb in 2005, said: ‘It is sickening he is indemnified. You feel this in the pit of your stomach. We will just have to swallow it – as difficult as it is to swallow.’

Mr Blair has earned tens of millions since leaving Downing Street in 2007 through a consultancy and investment business – often operating in countries where he established contacts while at No 10.

He insisted that he acted in good faith based on the intelligence available to him in the run-up to the war. He claimed the Chilcot Report showed there was no secret plan to invade Iraq and Parliament had not been misled.