Blair: 'We faced enormous clamour'

British Prime Minister Tony Blair began his evidence to the Hutton Inquiry today.

During questioning estimated to last more than two hours, he was due to explain his role in events leading up to the apparent suicide of his government's weapons expert David Kelly.

Lord Hutton and inquiry counsel James Dingemans QC were set to try to establish the full extent of Mr Blair’s role in the process which resulted in Dr Kelly’s name becoming public.

Mr Blair was also certain to face detailed inquiries about last September’s dossier on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.

Despite repeated denials that the British government “sexed up” the dossier in order to make a more persuasive case for this year’s war, the failure so far to uncover hard evidence of the WMD programmes detailed in the dossier has undermined the public’s trust in Mr Blair and his government.

The Hutton Inquiry was set up to investigate how Dr Kelly apparently came to take his own life after being identified as the likely source of a report by BBC Radio 4 Today programme’s defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan, in which the journalist suggested that the dossier was transformed at Downing Street’s behest.

As Mr Blair entered the witness stand, Mr Dingemans broke with the practice of the rest of the inquiry and said: ``I do not think we need an introduction.''

He went straight into questioning Mr Blair over the dossier’s preparation in 2002 and asked for details on that.

Mr Blair said: “After September 11 there was a renewed sense of urgency on the question of rogue states and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and links to terrorism.”

Mr Blair said some thought was given to bringing all of that concern together in a dossier.

Mr Dingemans pointed out that the dossier was then proceeded with in about February and March and asked why it had then only concentrated on Iraq.

Mr Blair said: “I think given its history, it was a special case.”

He said: “There was a sense that Iraq fitted a special category.”

Counsel then asked Mr Blair whether there was any reason why that dossier was not published.

Mr Blair said: “We had a draft, but this thing was already beginning to build into a very major story.”

He said he had discussions with the Secretary of State and the view was taken that it would ’inflame’ the situation too much to publish at that stage.

Mr Blair announced on September 3 that a dossier of evidence would be published.

He said: “There was a tremendous amount of information and evidence coming across my desk as to weapons of mass destruction and the programmes associated with them that Saddam had.”

He said public debate was growing and that there was “an enormous clamour” to know what intelligence the Government had.

He discussed the problem with President George Bush and they decided a decision had to be taken.

“I recall throughout the August break last year literally every day there were stories appearing saying we were going to invade Iraq, that military action had been decided upon,” he told the inquiry.

He added: “We really had to disclose what we knew. People were not unnaturally saying ’produce that intelligence then’.”