Blair will give evidence sometime in the two-week period from January 25, although the exact date for his one-day session has not yet been disclosed. Public interest is so great that a ballot will be held for seats.

There will be a "particularly high level of interest" from the families of British soldiers who died in Iraq, a statement from inquiry officials said, adding that a third of seats are being reserved for them.

But the first really high-profile witness will come before Blair -- Alastair Campbell, his fiery former communications chief and close ally will appear next week, on January 12.

Labour figures are reportedly worried Blair's appearance could cause problems for the ruling party as struggling Prime Minister Gordon Brown starts campaigning in earnest for Britain's general election, to be held by June.

Meanwhile, an Internet campaign has been launched for Blair to face tough questions about why he took Britain into the unpopular war, amid criticisms the probe, led by a retired top civil servant, has gone too easy on some witnesses.

"When it comes to Tony Blair, we can't let this happen," said activist group 38 Degrees, which is inviting people to submit questions they want the inquiry to put to the ex-premier.

"Blair made the decision to commit us to a war in Iraq. We deserve to know the real reasons he went ahead."

Blair stood shoulder-to-shoulder with then US president George W. Bush over the 2003 invasion, but faced a major backlash in Britain over the decision. He resigned in 2007 despite having led his Labour party to three election wins.

Britain justified the invasion at the time by arguing that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) but these were never found.

Blair insisted last month he would have supported the war, which did not gain explicit United Nations approval, even if he had known there were no Iraqi WMDs.

The appearance of Campbell could also cause a headache for Labour, which is battling to claw back the main opposition Conservatives' double-digit opinion poll lead before the election.

In 2003, he strongly denied a BBC report that he "sexed up" a dossier claiming Iraq had WMDs and could launch a chemical or biological strike within 45 minutes. An official inquiry also exonerated him.

In July that year, Ministry of Defence (MoD) weapons expert Dr. David Kelly was found dead near his home with slashed wrists.

Campbell resigned from his job in August 2003, insisting he wanted to quit the previous year.

The inquiry has fought back against claims Blair and others might not face rigorous questioning.

Chairman John Chilcot said last month that it was "not here to provide public sport or entertainment" but "to get to the facts."

A spokesman insisted Blair will be "appearing very much in public", despite fears some of his evidence could be heard privately for national security reasons.

The first witness to give evidence to the resumed probe Tuesday was William Patey, Britain's ambassador to Baghdad between 2005 and 2006.

He said he had received almost daily telephone calls from Downing Street, acknowledging that politicians may have set over-ambitious targets for what could be delivered.

"There was a tension between the desire for instant results and the realities on the ground," said Patey, now ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

"What you could achieve in the sort of timescales that London needed for political reasons -- there was a disconnect."

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