A schoolboy who made headlines after telling Tony Blair not to go to war in Iraq has joined the armed forces.

Aged just nine, Stirling Harden posted a letter in 2003 to the then Prime Minister, urging him to avoid the conflict in the Middle East.

Now 23, he has just graduated into the RAF and is based at Halton, in Buckinghamshire.

Stirling’s father, Phil, said: “I think Tony Blair would now wish he listened to a nine-year-old boy from Herne Bay.

“I think, looking back, most people would say Stirling was very far-sighted and would agree it was a big mistake to go to war in Iraq.

“He did not write the letter because he was a raging pacifist, it was because he felt it was morally wrong, even at the age of nine.”

Stirling, who received an award for best overall recruit in his flight last month, wrote in his letter: “Dear Mr Blair, I do not like the way you are threatening to invade Iraq.

“I do not think you should go on with this war because soldiers will waste their lives.

“Even my Great Uncle Stan, 93, who has lived through two world wars and fought in Greece, does not believe we should invade Iraq.

“Remember Winston Churchill said ‘Jaw jaw is better than war war’.”

Stirling, who grew up in Oxenden Square with his parents, gained two A-Levels and eight GCSEs at Herne Bay High.

He left the school in 2011 before completing a tough selection and training programme to get into the RAF.

He received a reply from Mr Blair thanking him for his letter, which was also sent to Prince Charles and MP Sir Roger Gale.

Phil, 64, who runs a care home in Herne Bay with his wife, Joyce, added: “Stirling is very happy with what he is doing in the RAF.

“He was thinking about university, but did not take to it and decided on the forces.

“He is very proud of being part of the RAF family.”