Blair hits out at Short over ‘irresponsible’ bugging claims

THE British Government is to review the Official Secrets Act after Prime Minister Tony Blair branded ex-Cabinet minister Clare Short “irresponsible” for claiming British secret agents bugged UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Last night's announcement of the review of the Official Secrets Act also followed the collapse of a court case yesterday against ex-GCHQ employee Katharine Gun when the prosecution offered no evidence, although Ms Gunn admitted leaking details of an American request for help in eavesdropping on UN delegates in the run-up to the war on Iraq.

A spokesman for Mr Annan said such moves would be illegal and called for them to stop if they existed. UN premises are "inviolable" under a 1946 charter signed by Britain.

Mr Annan wants the practice to stop, said his spokesman Fred Eckhard at UN headquarters in New York.

"We would be disappointed if this were true," Mr Eckhard said.

"Such activities would undermine the integrity and confidential nature of diplomatic exchanges. Those who speak to the secretary-general are entitled to assume that their exchanges are confidential."

The UN is "not in a position to determine whether this is true or not", Mr Eckhard said of Ms Short's allegations. "We are throwing down a red flag and saying if this is true ... stop it."

Asked whether bugging the Secretary General's office was illegal, Eckhard said: "It is indeed considered illegal."

Mr Blair earlier hinted at possible party disciplinary action against the former International Development Secretary and called her claims "deeply irresponsible".

Mr Blair's spokesman last night broke the government's silence on the Gun case to reveal how "disappointed" the Government was that a formal Not Guilty verdict had been entered by the judge.

The British government had said yesterday that the case was strictly a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service

But Mr Blair's spokesman said last evening: "It's a matter of common sense when we have the outcome of a specific case that you have a review of the working of the Official Secrets Act."

Earlier, diplomats and MPs were stunned and Mr Blair clearly angered when Ms Short said she knew British agents had been listening in to Mr Annan's conversations.

Mr Blair told his monthly news conference that those who commented on intelligence matters "attack the work that our security services are doing and undermine the security of this country".

And he added: "The fact that these allegations were made is deeply irresponsible."

Mr Blair said his refusal to comment on the allegations should not be taken as an indication that Ms Short's claims were true.

He said: "I hope the country understands it is very tempting to see people who want to talk about the work of our security services as so-called 'whistleblowers' or people simply in favour of open information.

Meanwhile, British Attorney General Lord Goldsmith told the Lords the case against Katharine Gun was not dropped to save the Government embarrassment.

He said the decision to offer no further evidence was made by the Crown Prosecution Service solely on legal grounds and "free from any political interference", but refused to be drawn into detail.

Asked whether Ms Short should remain a Labour MP, he said: "These are issues I will have to reflect upon."

Mr Blair was asked whether Ms Short should be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act, and replied: "I don't deal with who is prosecuted and who is not prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act.

"I will say, however, that I really do regard what Clare Short has said this morning as totally irresponsible, and entirely consistent."