Hoon on holiday during Kelly funeral
The MoD has confirmed that Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon is to miss the funeral of Iraqi weapons expert Dr David Kelly as he will be in America on holiday with his family.
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will represent the Government at the funeral next Wednesday, the MoD confirmed.
Dr David Kelly is at the centre of the scandal over BBC allegations that the Government willingly “sexed up” a September Iraq intelligence report in order to boost the case for war against Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship.
In that document, a controversial clause was inserted, which suggested Saddam Hussein could launch lethal weapons “within 45-minutes.”
Dr Kelly is said to be the MoD “mole” who allegedly leaked the story to the BBC’s defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan.
He committed suicide after his public exposure and a hard question and answer session in front of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
Mr Hoon has been pinpointed by some in the media as the key figure in the MoD granting the final go-ahead for the public release of Dr Kelly’s name.
Some Cabinet colleagues have viewed his decision to take a break as insensitive.
Lord Hutton’s judicial inquiry into the apparent suicide of Dr Kelly, which held a preliminary inquiry on Friday, will call on Mr Hoon to give evidence along with Tony Blair and Downing Street spin-chief Alastair Campbell.
