No advance warning on Hutton
The Government will only have a day to prepare its response to the outcome of Lord Hutton’s judicial inquiry into the suicide of Dr David Kelly.
Earlier reports had it that the Government would be given “just hours” to respond.
The FT, quoting an unnamed official, said the report would be a ‘bolt from the blue,’ with no advance warning given at all.
The report is due for publication in January after Lord Hutton submits his findings to Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor.
January 12th has been mooted as a possible publication date.
But inquiry secretary Lee Hughes said last night the report would be presented to interested parties “perhaps about 24 hours” before its final publication.
He added the Government was unlikely to have prior knowledge of the contents of the report before other parties.
Mr Hughes said there would be no leaking before the report was published.
He said: “Lord Hutton is well advanced with the writing of his report but it now looks likely, as he indicated might happen when he last sat on 13 October, that it will not be published until the New Year. We are unable to state the precise date.”
