PM kept up to speed on Kelly’s “outing”
Prime Minister Tony Blair was briefed and up to speed on the strategy to “out” Dr David Kelly, the Iraqi weapons inspector and MoD “mole” who reportedly briefed the BBC on Downing Street’s alleged doctoring of the September intelligence dossier.
The PM chaired high level meetings where it was adjudged sensible to release the name of Dr Kelly.
According to details penned by John Scarlett, chairman of the joint intelligence committee (JIC), the PM chaired five meetings on July 7 and 8 at which the strategy was agreed.
Mr Scarlett’s notes bring into focus the role of the PM and the increasingly beleaguered defence secretary, Geoff Hoon.
Mr Hoon was advised to write to BBC chairman Gavyn Davies disclosing Dr Kelly’s name.
But on the 22nd of July Mr Blair denied that he approved the naming of Dr Kelly as the “mole” in the BBC’s story.
On a flight to from Shanghai to Hong Kong, Mr Blair said: “I did not authorise the leaking of the name of David Kelly.”
Labour MP Fabian Hamilton said yesterday Mr Hoon was likely to be Mr Blair’s “sacrificial lamb.”
The Hutton inquiry into Dr Kelly’s death published on Saturday more than 6,000 documents on its website, covering statements from the Ministry of Defence, the BBC, the government, the foreign affairs committee and various newspapers.
It has transpired that Mr Blair ignored the counsel of his closest aides and insisted Dr Kelly should give evidence to both the foreign affairs and intelligence committees.
The BBC defence correspondent’s Andrew Gilligan said Dr Kelly was his “source” in the report that the PM’s director of communications Alastair Campbell “sexed up” the September dossier on Iraq’s capacity to launch lethal weapons, a move to bolster the case for war against Saddam Hussein’s regime.
A note by Sir David Omand, permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, read: “the prime minister made it clear that if, as he suspected, the FAC [foreign affairs committee] insisted on calling Dr Kelly to give evidence, we could not in all conscience order him not to appear.”
