Campbell ‘wanted to leak BBC source’

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL considered secretly briefing a newspaper that the possible source of the BBC’s story on the Government’s Iraq weapons dossier had been uncovered.

The inquiry into the death of Government weapons expert Dr David Kelly heard that Mr Campbell the Downing Street communications chief had considered leaking the fact that the scientist had come forward without naming him.

Godric Smith, the British Prime Minister's official spokesman and Mr Campbell's deputy, told the inquiry that he had dissuaded Mr Campbell from going ahead with the plan warning it was a "bad idea".

The inquiry, headed by Lord Hutton, is investigating how Dr Kelly apparently came to take his own life after being identified as the source of the BBC story claiming the Government had "sexed up" the dossier to strengthen the case for war.

Earlier, the most senior civil servant at the Ministry of Defence, Kevin Tebbit, described how both Tony Blair and Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon had been anxious to reveal publicly that Dr Kelly had come forward in the hope that he could finally refute the BBC's report.

Mr Smith described how he had walked into Mr Campbell's office in No 10 at around 6pm on Monday July 7 to find him talking on the speaker-phone to Mr Hoon.

"Alastair floated the idea that the news that an individual had come forward who could be the possible source be given that evening to one paper," Mr Smith said.