BEREAVED families threatened John Chilcot with legal action yesterday after he once again defied calls to set a publication date for his report into the Iraq war.

Mr Chilcot, who is heading the Iraq war inquiry, said he understood the “anguish” of those who lost loved ones in the conflict, but argued that the probe was “unprecedented” in its scope.

He also defended the controversial Maxwellisation process, whereby those facing criticism in the report are invited to respond prior to its conclusions being published.

His comments came amid renewed pressure to explain why the report has yet to emerge, six years after it was first commissioned by former prime minister Gordon Brown.

Mr Chilcot said the inquiry expected to receive the last Maxwellisation responses “shortly” and would then be able to produce a timetable for the report.

However Matthew Jury, of McCue & Partners, a law firm representing some of the families, said: “Sir John has refused the families’ legal request to impose an effective timetable on the Maxwellisation process, thereby preventing any deadline being set for publication of the report.

“All he has stated is that witnesses ‘have not been given an open-ended timescale’ to respond to criticisms.

“By itself this is meaningless, and the inquiry refuses to disclose to the families anything that would explain it further.”

He added that in the circumstances the families’ legal team “will be taking further legal steps as are considered necessary and appropriate.”