The BBC has stood by its report that Downing Street "sexed-up" its dossier on Iraq's weapons - and immediately demanded an apology from Mr Alastair Campbell for alleging bias over its reporting of the war.
Following a two-hour crisis summit between governors and senior management on the eve of the publication of a Commons report into the decision to go to war, BBC chairman Mr Gavyn Davies made clear the corporation had no regrets over the story.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair had earlier vented his fury at the public service broadcaster, accusing it of seriously attacked his integrity as Prime Minister by running the report on Radio 4's Today programme.
Mr Davies responded by insisting that the BBC had never accused Mr Blair of lying or of misleading Parliament into war.
He said: "The BBC did not have an agenda in its war coverage, nor does it now have any agenda which questions the integrity of the Prime Minister."
Defence correspondent Mr Andrew Gilligan's story, on May 29th, cited the disquiet of a "senior intelligence official" at the prominence given to intelligence that Saddam Hussein could launch a chemical or biological weapon in 45 minutes.
The chairman said that because of a "general pattern of concern conveyed to a number of BBC journalists with good contacts in the security services, we consider that it was entirely proper to reflect some unease about the presentation of the Government's arguments in the disputed dossiers".
He added: "The Board is satisfied that it was in the public interest to broadcast Mr Gilligan's story, given the information which was available to BBC News at the time."
Although Mr Gilligan's information had come from a single source, BBC news chiefs decided that the source was sufficiently senior to not need a second to endorse the story.
Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, a majority of whomare from the Labour party, are expected largely toexonerate Mr Campbell over claims he doctored the September dossier when they issue their report this morning. PA