MI6 intelligence chief stands over 45-minute weapons claim

Gavin Cordon

In an unprecedented session of the Hutton Inquiry, Sir Richard Dearlove said the intelligence had been “well sourced” and its inclusion in the dossier had been valid. However, he admitted, “with hindsight” the way it had been presented had been open to “misinterpretation” by the public.

On the opening day of the second phase of the inquiry, Director General of the BBC Greg Dyke also admitted the corporation had lessons to learn from the events leading up to the death of the Government weapons expert David Kelly.

He said it was “not acceptable” that the Today programme journalist Andrew Gilligan had disclosed to MPs that Dr Kelly was the confidential source of the story by another BBC journalist about the Iraq dossier.

Earlier it was announced that Mr Gilligan was among witnesses being recalled by the inquiry to be subjected to further questioning, along with Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and former No 10 communications chief Alastair Campbell.

However the day was dominated by the evidence of Sir Richard.

The spymaster, who has never had a contemporary photograph of himself published, did not appear in person in Court 73 of the Royal Courts of Justice but gave evidence through an audiolink.

After introducing himself as “the chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, popularly known as MI6”, he almost immediately took issue with the suggestion that the 45-minute point in the dossier had just been a “claim”.

“You use the word ‘claim’,” he told counsel to the inquiry James Dingemans QC.

“I would prefer to refer to it as a piece of well-sourced intelligence.” He acknowledged the information in the “CX” intelligence report came from a single source but rejected the suggestion that meant it was unreliable.

“It did come from an established and reliable source quoting a senior Iraqi military officer who was certainly in a position to know this information,” he said.

“CX reports as produced by my service are all single-source. Much high quality intelligence which is factual, or proved to be factual, is single source material.”