‘Unreserved apology’ for Mitty remarks
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman, Tom Kelly, has apologised for comparing the late Dr David Kelly to the character ‘Walter Mitty’.
Mr Kelly had been identified as the source of the “Walter Mitty” attack on the late Dr David Kelly, throwing No 10 back into the spotlight over the MoD expert’s apparent suicide.
Downing Street was forced last night to admit that Tom Kelly was the unnamed “senior Whitehall source” who, in an Independent newspaper article, used the expression “Walter Mitty” to describe the Iraq weapons expert. Walter Mitty is a fictional character described as someone ‘who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs’.
Downing Street had spent the day denying anyone had made the claim.
On Monday morning, the PM’s spokesman said: “I don’t know where this comment has come from, but we do want to make it absolutely clear that nobody with either the Prime Minister’s or anybody else in Downing Street’s approval would say such a thing.”
Mr Kelly apologised ‘unreservedly’ for his comments that were made during what was regarded as off-the-record conversations with journalists about the Hutton inquiry, which is investigating the death of the weapons of mass destruction expert.
Labour MP and former minister Glenda Jackson described the comments as ‘unspeakable behaviour’ by Number 10.
Commenting on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ms Jackson commented, ‘It would seem that Number Ten’s capacity to disgust us would seem positively boundless. We are in a situation where a man has lost his life, his family has been deprived of a husband and father and it would seem that Number Ten is determined to take away his reputation. They are unspeakable.’
Ms Jackson went on to call for Mr Kelly to be sacked and not ‘afforded the luxury of resigning’.
Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, Menzies Campbell, claimed that Mr Kelly had done the right thing by apologising.
Mr Campbell added, ‘This unqualified apology deals with the short-term problem, but the whole episode raises some longer-term issues which the Prime Minister really must address. It is time to abandon the whole culture of spin and off the record briefings. We need a new atmosphere of openness and transparency if the political system is to regain public trust.’
Dr Kelly’s funeral will be held on Wednesday and the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott had told Whitehall not to comment on the death of Dr Kelly before this or during the inquiry.
He tried to calm the waters yesterday, saying, ‘I do not believe these unsubstantiated remarks about Dr Kelly, which are attributed to a Whitehall source in today’s Independent.’
‘I trust that no one in Government would comment on Dr Kelly at such a sensitive time, before the funeral and while the Hutton inquiry is under way.’
