Campbell to appear before Hutton
Alastair Campbell is to appear before the Hutton inquiry next week, it was announced today.
The embattled Director of Communication will appear before the inquiry on Tuesday 19th August.
Meanwhile, Tom Kelly, the Prime Minister’s spokesman who accused Dr Kelly of being a ‘Walter Mitty like character’ the day before his funeral has been scheduled to appear before the inquiry on Wednesday.
Lord Hutton has also called Jonathan Powell, chief of staff at the Prime Minister’s Office, and a number of other officials from 10 Downing Street.
Sir Kevin Tebbit, Dr Kelly’s boss will also face questioning next week, as will Donald Anderson, MP, the leader of the Foreign Affairs Committee which has been accused of grilling Dr Kelly when he appeared before them.
The selected witnesses will appear before the inquiry next week to answer questions on the circumstances surrounding the death of the weapons expert Dr David Kelly.
Dr Kelly apparently committed suicide after he was thrust into the limelight when he was named as the source of reports that accused the Government of interfering with the production of an intelligence dossier used to justify the conflict in Iraq.
The inquiry has not yet heard evidence from the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, who are still to be called.
So far friends and colleagues of Dr Kelly from the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office have appeared before the inquiry. Andrew Gilligan and Susan Watts , the reporters who used Dr Kelly as an unnamed source, have also appeared before Lord Hutton.
Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, Menzies Campbell warned that Geoff Hoon would have some uncomfortable questions to answer when he appears before the inquiry. It was alleged during yesterday’s session that Mr Hoon had stepped in against the advice of a senior civil servant and accepted a request from the Foreign Affairs Committee for Dr Kelly to appear before them.
Mr Campbell stated, ‘The Defence Secretary will have some explaining to do when he himself comes to give evidence. ‘
‘The inference from this evidence is that Geoff Hoon was concerned to undermine Andrew Gilligan as part of the Government dispute with the BBC, and not with the substantive issues which Dr Kelly’s reservations were focussed upon.’
‘It would be illuminating to know if anyone in Number 10 had a hand in the Defence Secretary’s decision.’
Lord Hutton’s inquiry is not sitting today.
