Blair 'chaired Kelly naming meeting'

British Prime Minister Tony Blair chaired the “decisive” meeting which led to the naming of British government scientist David Kelly, the Ministry of Defence’s most senior official said today.

At the meeting in 10 Downing Street on July 8, it was agreed that Dr Kelly’s name would be confirmed to any journalist who independently came up with it, MoD permanent secretary Sir Kevin Tebbit told the Hutton Inquiry into the weapons expert’s death.

Tories said Sir Kevin’s evidence was “yet another damning indictment” of the Prime Minister’s handling of the Kelly case, revealing his earlier claims not to have been involved in the development of a strategy for naming him as a “sham“.

But Sir Kevin insisted there was never any “devious strategy” to ensure Dr Kelly’s identity became public.

Question marks over the Prime Minister’s involvement now look likely to be hanging over Mr Blair’s head at least until January.

Lord Hutton announced that he may not be able to finish his report, on events surrounding Dr Kelly‘s death, until the New Year, rather than December as previously hoped.

Sir Kevin was giving evidence at a special one-off hearing of the inquiry today, after his scheduled cross-examination last month had to be postponed in order for him to have an operation on his eye.

He confirmed that he had not been present at the July 8 meeting, but said that the MoD was happy with the decision to release a statement revealing that an unnamed civil servant had admitted unauthorised contacts with BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan.

It was accompanied by the now infamous Q&A briefing paper instructing press officers to confirm Dr Kelly’s name to reporters who correctly named him as the source for Mr Gilligan’s broadcast alleging the Government “sexed up” intelligence on Iraqi weapons. An earlier briefing paper had said there was nothing to be gained from the scientist’s name becoming public.

Pressed by the Kelly family’s barrister, Jeremy Gompertz QC, on who decided this new approach, Sir Kevin said: “The change of stance, as you put it, was as a result of the meeting chaired by the Prime Minister.”

Asked once more, he replied: “The decision was taken at the meeting in Number 10, with which the MoD concurred.”

Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said: “Kevin Tebbit’s evidence is yet another damning indictment of Tony Blair’s role in the naming of Dr Kelly.

“Sir Kevin has said the key decision on the naming strategy ‘was taken at the meeting in Number 10’. That meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister’s denials are now shown to be a sham.”

Sir Kevin denied taking part in an effort to “smear” Dr Kelly following the scientist’s appearance at a public hearing of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

He acknowledged that he told BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins that Kelly was “a bit odd“, but denied that his comments were an attempt to paint him as an unreliable eccentric.

“They were not intended as a smear,” he said. “They were in the context of ‘why would anyone do this?’, that anyone that talks to Andrew Gilligan in these circumstances must be a bit odd.

“It was about the behaviour of the meeting with Mr Gilligan and not my considered view of Dr Kelly. “

He said he had only “contempt” for a Sunday Telegraph article which reported him as describing Dr Kelly as unreliable while making circular gestures around the side of his temple.

Sir Kevin told the inquiry that Dr Kelly was handled “extremely carefully and considerately throughout“, after he came forward on June 30 to admit unauthorised contacts with Gilligan.

But officials and ministers were “sitting on what we felt was a ticking bomb”, because the longer they kept the information secret, the more easily they could be accused of a cover-up, he said.

From the start, the MoD was inclined to accept Dr Kelly’s claim that Gilligan had “embellished” what he told him, said Sir Kevin.

He “strongly disagreed” with the suggestion that Dr Kelly had been forced against his will to give evidence to the FAC and to a private hearing of the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee.

“We were certain throughout that he was partly responsible for causing the problem which had arisen and therefore he also had a responsibility ... for doing what he could to clear it up, which is why I think he was ready to co-operate at every stage in this process,” he said.

Dr Kelly had agreed the July 8 statement and had discussed with MoD personnel director Richard Hatfield the likelihood that his name would eventually become public.

But, contrary to evidence from Dr Kelly’s widow Janice, there was never an agreement to guarantee Dr Kelly’s anonymity, Sir Kevin said.

Sir Kevin said he agreed with Mr Hatfield’s decision, following an initial interview on July 4, that Dr Kelly should be admonished but not formally disciplined.

But he said that in the light of evidence that had emerged in the course of Lord Hutton’s inquiry, he now felt disciplinary proceedings would have been appropriate.

Today‘s hearing concluded the evidence stages of the inquiry and Lord Hutton has now retired to prepare his much-anticipated report.