Alastair Campbell is likely to publish a book from his diaries

In his first interview since leaving his post as the prime minister's director of communications, Mr Campbell told host Eamon Dunphy the media could not say what they liked about public figures without them occasionally fighting back.

"I think to say to someone in my position, that I connived to lie, so that British soldiers could go and die - I mean that gets to you," he said.

Mr Campbell said he would be "surprised" if he did not one day write a book on his days at Number 10.

The former Downing Street press chief did not refer directly to the Hutton Inquiry in the interview on TV3 on Friday night, but he said he still firmly believed going to war in Iraq was the right thing to do.

Blair the boss

During the inquiry Mr Campbell said he played no part in the September Iraq weapons dossier claim that the regime could launch weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes.

I don't accept that I was doing the dirty work that he didn't want to do Alastair Campbell

The dossier was the subject of a report on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, in which defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan said Downing Street had "sexed up" the document.

Asked whether he had gone further with the attack on the BBC than the prime minister would have wished, Mr Campbell said Mr Blair trusted his judgement in media relations.

"But I was working for him. He was the boss. I would discuss these things with him the whole time."

Mr Campbell said he did not want to "refight the battles" with the BBC during the interview.

He tried to quash perceptions he was the "dark side" of the prime minister, who carried out his "dirty work".

"I don't accept it. We're very similar, we've got a very similar sense of humour, very similar political beliefs, very similar value systems."

Darker side

"He probably does see the nicer side of things, and I maybe look at the darker side of things.

"But I don't accept that I was doing the dirty work that he didn't want to do. I didn't do anything he didn't want me to do."

Mr Campbell also talked of the nervous breakdown he suffered while working as a journalist.

He said leaving his "political home" at the Daily Mirror, to go to the anti-union Today newspaper led to him "cracking" through stress and alcohol.

"I took a job I was flattered into taking, I was way out of my depth, and I cracked up."

On Mr Blair, Mr Campbell said he felt he could move on as press chief because the prime minister had become "tougher" in recent years.

"He's less worried about the press than he used to be," he said.