Blair May Be Quizzed As Kelly Crisis Deepens

Financial Times UK ^ | 07-21-03

[Brian S]

The political fallout from the apparent suicide of David Kelly hit the highest levels of government on Monday after it emerged that Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary, had personally authorised his department's strategy for dealing with the scientist.

As Tony Blair and Mr Hoon brace themselves for public interrogation by a senior law lord investigating Mr Kelly's death, Downing Street also conceded that it was consulted by the Ministry of Defence on several occasions over his treatment.

Mr Hoon's direct involvement in the handling of Mr Kelly - the weapons expert at the centre of the row between the government and the BBC - means that he could be forced to resign if an independent inquiry by Lord Hutton criticises Mr Kelly's treatment by Whitehall officials.

The inquiry is likely to focus on the MoD's decision to confirm to three newspapers - including the Financial Times - that Mr Kelly was the unnamed official who informed the department on June 30 that he was the likely source for a controversial broadcast by BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan.

Downing Street officials insisted that the MoD was the lead department in handling Mr Kelly's case and that Mr Blair's aides were rigorous on this point.

But Downing Street's admission that it was consulted by the MoD over the weapons scientist is certain to be explored by Lord Hutton and could be central to determining whether the political fallout spreads to Mr Blair.

The BBC was also under continuing pressure after admitting at the weekend that Mr Kelly was the source for a report by Mr Gilligan which stated that Downing Street doctored last September's dossier on weapons of mass destruction.

A critical meeting earlier this month of the BBC board of governors - the guardian of BBC standards - did not examine whether Mr Gilligan's report was accurate. The governors gave full support for the corporation's handling of the affair but did not discuss whether the allegations were true - merely that reporting guidelines had been upheld.

Although Mr Kelly said last week that he did not see how Mr Gilligan's claims about the dossier could be related to the meeting the two men held on May 22, Greg Dyke, director-general, continued to defened the BBC's role.

He wrote to the corporation's 22,000 staff insisting it was a fundamental principle of journalism never to name sources unless the source is willing to be named, adding: "In recent weeks we did everything possible to protect Dr Kelly's anonymity and we believe that we were in no way responsible for his name coming into the public arena. Clearly, once it was public, Dr Kelly came under enormous pressure."

Lord Hutton on Monday asserted his independence from the government, insisting he would decide the scope and terms of his investigation for himself.

Mr Blair promised to "co- operate fully" with Lord Hutton, saying he would "do what the judge in charge of the inquiry wants me to". Speaking in Beijing, he said he would break into his holiday next month to give evidence, if necessary.

[Williams]

When the left wing media gets into full swing I can never figure out what their (legitimate) point is. Blair would be responsible because the government acknowledged that this guy was the likely source of an unauthorized leak or quote? And this caused the guy to kill himself??? Blair's wrongdoing would be what in this instance?

[lainie]

I've read this story twice on Drudge. I still don't understand it.

[randog]

Blair's wrongdoing would be what in this instance?

I've been trying to figure that out for the last 3 days and have had no luck. Honest to gawd, I can't get anyone to explain this to me, yet day after day I read about how Blair's in deep doo-doo over this.

I'll let you know if I figure it out....;^)

[BritExPatInFla]

They must think that Mr. Kelly was "Fostered" to shut him up, or somesuch.....

[umgud]

I thought Blair was in less doo doo because the BBC was having a NYT moment over this issue (sexing it up)? It seems they attributed a lot of spin that the suicidee didn't produce and now he's dead and they're outed. Like you, I too am canfused.

[HennepinPrisoner]

Blair's not in deep doo-doo....the BBC's charter renewal is in deep doo-doo.

It's up for renewal next year......I predict that the BBC will be forced to operate commercially (privatize) some of their services gradually....and in 20 years the UK's $150/year television tax that funds the BBC will go the way of the dodo bird.

It won't be a carte blanche, "free ride" renewal from this p***ed-off government.

[AntiGuv]

I'm uncertain what's so confusing for many people. The only thing required to force the resignation of a British prime minister is an internal party decision that he's no longer a benefit to the party. Granted, it doesn't happen very often [last time Margaret Thatcher in 1990] but it's certainly not the sort of extreme process equivalent to impeaching an American president.

[jospehm20]

You just gotta stop thinking that liberals may be driven by decency or logic and than you will understand. These are the same type of folks that turned Wellstone's memorial service into a party rally. The NAZIs had nothing on these people for blind fanaticism. They care about nothing but a perceived opportunity to discredit Blair and advance their agenda. The part of this story that really strikes me as ironic is that it is probably the liberal BBC that caused this obviously overwrought individual to off himself. I guess that is right out of the liberal playbook also; cause a situation and blame your enemies for it. Our 'Rats do it all the time.

[AntiGuv]

You just gotta stop thinking that liberals may be driven by decency or logic and than you will understand.

Blair is a liberal. His opposition is the Conservative Party....

[jospehm20]

I think that in this case his biggest opposition is the whacko wing of his liberal party.

[AntiGuv]

Former PM John Major and Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith have been spearheading these recent efforts against Blair...

[randog]

The part of this story that really strikes me as ironic is that it is probably the liberal BBC that caused this obviously overwrought individual to off himself. I guess that is right out of the liberal playbook also; cause a situation and blame your enemies for it.

Kelly admitted that the BBC put words in his mouth before he took his dirt nap, and they're the ones that should be taking all the heat for this. I agree that the left is attempting to make Blair out to be the bad guy, but it's just so transparent. Have they really become that desperate?

[jospehm20]

So does this mean that the BBC is part of conservative establishment in Great Britian? They are the ones I see really trying to smear the Blair government on this.

[AntiGuv]

The BBC is as much on the defensive at this juncture as is Tony Blair. The fact of the matter is that Tony Blair is a leftist within the British spectrum, and his fellow leftists would have no problem with him except for their hatred of Bush, which is a common feature of leftists worldwide. Tony Blair is not the British equivalent to Bush; he's the British equivalent to Clinton.

Ironic enough, Jacques Chirac is the French equivalent of Bush, which is a frightening statement on the French......

[HennepinPrisoner]

So does this mean that the BBC is part of conservative establishment in Great Britian? They are the ones I see really trying to smear the Blair government on this.

Blairs decision to go to war was out-of-sync with the liberal Labour line.....it would be equivalent to CNN's bashing of Clinton for his "don't ask, don't tell" policy for the army.

The BBC is still as liberal as ever....it's Tony Blair's Tory-like decisions on Iraq that made them falsify stories to smear his government.

[jospehm20]

I am happy that I am not French.

[AntiGuv]

It's certainly a bit complicated from our American perspective, since Blair's party widely opposed the war, but mostly supported his decision to go to war, whereas the opposition Conservatives supported the war, but oppose him in general. Blair's getting it from both sides but most of the Labour Party has closed ranks around him - except for a few on the farthest left. It's the Tories who are now pushing much of the effort against Blair, the fringe leftist criticism notwithstanding.

[Republic]

Since Kelly stated in his comments before the British inquiry committee that he did not recognize his own words in the written report that accused the British government of 'sexing' up the intelligence reports-it stands to reason that being blamed for this humiliated, no crushed him, sadly, to death.

Like one of the BBC personnel stated-(paraphrased here)- ' the reporter who wrote it, ( named gilligen or something like that ) had better hope he used excellent short hand in his notes.

The BBC was KICKED off a British warship off Iraq for exaggerating unfavorable news about the British troops there and failing to report honestly about what they were seeing as embedded (a privilege to be sure) reporters.

seems as though the BBC is not unlike CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC. Lying is simply a normal course of action if your agenda leans to the liberal side of things.

Time for reporters not paid by the BBC to start asking the BBC folks if they have BLOOD on their hands.