Britain: British Defence Secretary Mr Geoff Hoon has flatly denied suggestions of a government conspiracy to identify Dr David Kelly as the source for BBC claims that it sexed-up the controversial Iraqi weapons dossier, writes Frank Millar, London Editor
During long and tense cross-examination by counsel for Dr Kelly's family, a defiant Mr Hoon yesterday told the Hutton Inquiry he and his ministry had done nothing wrong in their handling of the former government scientist and weapons inspector, and that they had nothing to apologise for.
And he maintained that the process by which the Ministry of Defence agreed to confirm Dr Kelly as the likely BBC mole to any journalist coming-up with his name did not amount to a "leak" strategy.
In answer to questions from counsel for the government, Mr David Lloyd Jones QC, Mr Hoon confirmed he had seen and authorised a ministry press statement of July 8th, announcing that an official had come forward to volunteer that he had met the BBC Today programme's defence correspondent Mr Andrew Gilligan.
Mr Hoon said he was by then increasingly concerned about the amount of time passing without the government acknowledging that an official had come forward "who had something relevant to say" about issues which were then the subject of two parliamentary inquiries.
In addition, Mr Hoon explained, a number of other officials were due to give evidence to the Intelligence and Security Committee inquiry and "there was some concern that if they had been asked questions about this matter they needed to be clear as to the position the government was taking."
Mr Hoon went on: "Above all else, because of both pressures, I was concerned that we should not be accused of covering-up the fact that an official had come forward."
Asked if, with the benefit of hindsight, he still considered this the right thing to do, Mr Hoon replied: "Yes, I do, because once an official had come forward, once he had made known the fact that he had had an unauthorised contact with Andrew Gilligan, then we had to deal with it. We did not have the option of doing nothing."
Mr Hoon confirmed that he was aware that his MoD press office was adopting an approach under which it would confirm the identity of the individual if the correct name was put to press officers. However he maintained: "I did not brief Dr Kelly's name to any journalists, neither was I aware of any strategy to do so."
Mr Jeremy Gompertz QC, for the Kelly family, reminded Mr Hoon of his previous evidence asserting that he and the MoD had made every effort to protect Dr Kelly's anonymity, then put it to him: "You, personally, named Dr Kelly in a letter to the BBC, did you not?"
Mr Hoon replied: "In a private letter to the chairman of the (BBC) governors, yes."
Mr Gompertz pressed: "Was that protecting Dr Kelly's anonymity, Mr Hoon?"
The Defence Secretary replied: ""I think writing a letter in confidence to the chairman of the BBC, having taken some trouble to ensure it was only seen by Mr Davies, is protecting his anonymity, yes."
Mr Hoon then again tied Number 10 Downing Street to this strategy to try and force the BBC to confirm Dr Kelly as the source of Mr Gilligan's original claim, that Downing Street and communications chief Mr Alastair Campbell had ordered the insertion of questionable intelligence in the September dossier against the wishes of the intelligence services.
Questioned about various discussions on this matter, Mr Hoon again said: "I had a message from Jonathon Powell (the prime minister's chief of staff) saying it was now appropriate, as far as they were concerned, that I could privately mention to (the BBC chairman) that the person who had come forward was in fact Dr Kelly."
Mr Gompertz suggested there was a deliberate government strategy "to leak Dr Kelly's name into the public arena without appearing to do so, by a combination of the press statement, the question and answer material, the prime minister's official spokesman's press briefing and other leaks."
But Mr Hoon told him: "You have put that to a number of witnesses, they have all denied it, and I deny it." Mr Gompertz persisted: "His name was leaked, was it not?" Mr Hoon: "Not by me." Mr Gompertz: "No?" Mr Hoon: "No."