Voters pile blame on Blair

The Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | 07/21/03 | Toby Helm

[Pokey78]

Tony Blair has suffered huge damage to his reputation among voters as a direct result of the death of Dr David Kelly, the weapons expert, and the Government's bitter and protracted dispute with the BBC, according to a poll.

	Tony Blair: no intention of standing down

The row has also inflicted damage on the BBC after it admitted yesterday that the scientist had been the main source for its story claiming that the Government had "sexed up" a dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destrustion.

Dr Kelly's MP, Robert Jackson, called yesterday for Gavyn Davies, the BBC chairman, to resign.

The YouGov survey for The Telegraph, conducted after Dr Kelly's death had been confirmed, found that almost as many voters believe Mr Blair should resign (39 per cent) as think he should stay on as Prime Minister (41 per cent).

Equally damaging for Mr Blair is that 59 per cent of voters said their opinion of him had gone down since the Dr Kelly affair.

Click to enlarge

Sixty-five per cent said they had a lower opinion of Alastair Campbell, the Downing Street director of communications - the same proportion that believed Mr Campbell should resign.

While three times as many voters said they trusted the BBC than had faith in the Government, the corporation was also struggling last night to maintain its credibility.

There was fevered speculation in Whitehall over who was responsible for the leaking of Dr Kelly's name to the press.

The Ministry of Defence's chief press officer, who confirmed Dr Kelly's name to three newspapers, said it would not be making further comment until the judicial inquiry.

Mr Blair confirmed yesterday that he would be giving evidence to the inquiry, as would the Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon.

Dr Kelly told MPs on the House of Commons foreign affairs committee last Tuesday that he did not believe he was the main source for the BBC report by its defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan.

The 59-year-old weapons expert, who was found dead on Friday with his wrist slit, also suggested he was not the source of Mr Gilligan's claim that Mr Campbell inserted a claim that Iraq could deploy weapons at 45 minutes notice into a Government dossier on Iraq.

Yesterday there were angry words exchanged over who was to blame for the tragedy.

Derek Vawdrey, the scientist's brother-in-law, said Dr Kelly had been treated "in a bullying way by the foreign affairs select committee". He added: "It is my opinion that that is what directly led to his suicide."

Others levelled most of their criticism at the BBC.

Mr Jackson, a Conservative, said Mr Davies should step down because the BBC's governors had said that the main source for the story was an intelligence official. Dr Kelly was not in the intelligence services but was a weapons expert.

"I believe the BBC are responsible for his death. If they had made this statement before his suicide I don't believe he would have died."

Gerald Kaufman, Labour chairman of the House of Commons media, culture and sport committee, said: "What the BBC ought to be questioned about is the journalistic standards under which they have been operating."

These issues should be addressed during the judicial inquiry that the Government has announced. It will be conducted by the law lord Lord Hutton.

Mr Blair, on a week-long tour of the Far East, welcomed the BBC's statement and called for restraint from all sides in the dispute, including the media.

As he left Korea for China he said: "I am pleased that the BBC has made this announcement. Whatever the differences, no one wanted this tragedy to happen."

Mr Blair said he had no intention of standing down as Prime Minister and rejected calls by the Conservatives for Parliament to be recalled.

He added: "The independent Hutton inquiry has been set up; it will establish the facts. In the meantime our attitude should be one of respect and restraint, not recrimination, with the Kelly family uppermost in our minds."

The Conservatives called for the inquiry to be widened. They blamed the MoD for confirming Dr Kelly's name to journalists.

David Davis, the shadow deputy prime minister, said: "The events go to show the need for a public inquiry into Dr Kelly's sad death."

In a statement the BBC said it had been "at pains" to protect Dr Kelly's identity. But his death meant it was now necessary to end the "speculation" about the identity of the main source.

The corporation said it stood fully by its original story. "The BBC believes we accurately interpreted and reported the factual information obtained by us and during interviews with Dr Kelly."

Last night the BBC issued a statement on behalf of Gilligan. In it he insisted he had not "misquoted or misrepresented" Dr Kelly.

He said that Dr Kelly had made similar comments to other BBC reporters and "expressed very similar concerns about Downing Street's interpretation of intelligence in the dossier and the unreliability of the 45-minute point".

He insisted he had never said Dr Kelly was a member of the intelligence services.

[irish_lad]

A colleague of mine who lives in Britain said Blair's goose was cooked long ago because of the social policies the labor party has adopted. Britain apparently has VERY generous welfare benefits to foreigners, accounting for the large Muslim population. The Brits are tired of supporting the world community who move to their country for a free ride.

[prairiebreeze]

I see absolutely no reason at all for Blair to consider resigning. That it keeps being suggested is just preposterous.

This uranium issue is but one VERY SMALL piece of the overall intel we have (and the world has) against Saddam. Only fools would expect every single particle of intel to stand up as 100% accurate for all eternity.

Prairie

[Princeliberty]

The good news is that this may sink Blair now
and that might help save Great Britian form
surrendering to the European slave state
that is rising.

[McGavin999]

and the bad thing is he would be replaced with an even more liberal MP who would sink Bush in a NY minute.

[Cicero]

Blair would have lost the last election if the Conservatives had had nyone to run against him. They didn't and still don't. They have been going further and further down the tubes every year since they gave Margaret Thatcher the boot.

It's not surprising that Blair is suffering the initial damage from this suicide, because the leftist media have been pouring it on. But I believe the worm is now turning, and BBC will start taking the heavy blame. They are in a very difficult spot, because they clearly exaggerated and lied about what was leaked to them and basically betrayed their source. And in this case, they betrayed an idealistic leftist source, which won't please their natural allies.

[Princeliberty]

On Europe the labor party has always been divided
until Kinnock came along, Labor was always
anti-Europe. So the traditional anti-Europe
fraction might win.
And the anti-Europe PM would end up being
pro-United States in the long run regardless
of whether he wants to or not.
Just as pro-European will end up being Anti-American
in the long whether he wants to or not.

Britian has the choice of Europe's rising slave
state or the US and which one to ally with
it can't be both.

So if Blair remains pro-Europe he must abandon
US or if he remain pro-US he must one day
abandon EU.

[Princeliberty]

The Conservative have no one good they wish
to make their leader.
In the last leadership contast Davis would
have been a great choice. And even better
than Davis was that guy who challenged Major
for leadership right toward the end of
him being PM. The names escapes me
he was young too and he is still in Parliment
so they could still go back to him if they wanted to.
Hague and Smith have both been clones
of that empty Major.
So that Major mentality still grips the
party and until they break free form
it they will not win.