Hutton lawyers sum up
The Government lawyer at the Hutton Inquiry today defended the dossier which the BBC accused it of ‘sexing up’ and launched an attack on the broadcaster. This comes after the Kelly family lawyer criticised all parties involved in the affair.
Mr Jonathon Sumption spoke for the Government, saying that although the BBC appears not to fully accept that the dossier is entirely the view of the Joint Intelligent Committee, the evidence before the inquiry must lead to that conclusion.
The dossier’s accuracy and the process behind it has become a vital factor in investigating the death of Dr Kelly, as it was the original accusations about the dossier that triggered the tragedy.
Jeremy Gompetz QC, speaking for the Kelly family, strongly attacked Andrew Gilligan over the story this morning, claiming that his evidence was not credible, and that he had not reported Dr Kelly’s comments accurately. He also attacked the news story that led to the death of Dr Kelly, claiming that the Today programme was ‘making news’ rather than reporting it.
Meanwhile, Mr Sumption went on to suggest that the Prime Minister, and thus his staff, had every right, and duty, to become involved in the dossier’s presentation – on the grounds that it was Tony Blair who would take responsibility for the document in Parliament.
Mr Sumption then stated that this would not justify changing the dossier to such an extent that it no longer reflected the view of the JIC, and he stated that this never happened, citing evidence from members to that effect.
On the allegation that Alistair Campbell had inserted the 45 minute claim, he labeled this a ‘conservative’ part of the dossier. He argued that the source was in a position to know such things, and that the evidence was reliable. He then noted that it was originally a 20-45 minute claim, and was altered to the less alarming 45-minute claim that became central to the BBC story.
While Mr Sumption focused heavily on the BBC story, and the make up of the dossier, Jeremy Gompertz focused more heavily on events following the story, notably those that vindicated the actions of Dr Kelly.
He claimed that the Ministry of Defence was unable to present the inquiry with coherent rules governing media discussions, particularly the route by which permission could be sought.
He also slammed the subsequent behaviour of reporters and photographers, claiming that a ‘media frenzy’ continued even after the death of the expert, and labelled the behaviour an ‘unacceptable’ way to treat the grieving family.
Geoff Hoon was later accused of ‘hypocrisy’ over his claim that he played little part in the decision to name Dr Kelly, following email evidence yesterday that indicated many in the MoD believed the final decision was left to him.
