Former Downing Street communications chief Alastair Campbell accused the BBC’s Andrew Marr of bias over the Iraq war last night after apparently breaking down while being questioned on live television.
Mr Campbell insisted the interviewer had been pursuing an “agenda” in pressing him over whether Tony Blair had misled the House of Commons in the run-up to the 2003 invasion.
The former spin doctor was appearing on BBC 1's Andrew Marr Showto promote his new novel, Maya, but the atmosphere deteriorated quickly when Marr described the book as his "new work of fiction".
This was taken by Mr Campbell as a barbed reference to the controversial dossier he helped to assemble on Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction.
An extraordinary exchange began after the presenter turned to the issue of whether Mr Blair had effectively lied when he told MPs it was “beyond doubt” Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
“If ‘beyond doubt’ is not established in the intelligence when this inquiry looks at the intelligence, does it then follow, yes or no, the prime minister misled Parliament?” Marr asked.
Mr Campbell replied: “The prime minister did not mislead Parliament.” But instead of continuing, he then paused and appeared to be struggling for breath. “Yes, because I said . . . forgive me for this, I’ve . . .”
Marr told him: “People say you can’t answer this question.”
Mr Campbell again gave a reply interrupted by several pauses, saying: “I’ve been through a lot of this Andrew. And I’ve been through a lot of that inquiry . . . and, er . . . Tony Blair, I think is a totally honourable man.”