Gilligan's Iraq dossier claims 'unfounded'

Reporter Andrew Gilligan’s claim that the British government inserted intelligence into its controversial Iraq dossier knowing it was probably wrong was “unfounded”, Lord Hutton said today.

He said the “allegation was an allegation which was unfounded” because intelligence chiefs did believe the source from which it came was reliable.

Lord Hutton also dismissed Mr Gilligan’s claim that the dossier had been “sexed up” as unfounded.

His comments came as he delivered a summary of the findings of his report into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly.

Lord Hutton also said Mr Gilligan had been wrong to state in his BBC Radio 4 Today programme broadcast that the reason the claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction deployable in 45 minutes had been inserted was because the original dossier was lacklustre.

The intelligence was included late because it arrived late, said Lord Hutton.

Lord Hutton recounted how both the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and the Intelligence and Security Committee requested on July 10 that Dr Kelly appear to give evidence before them.

This was agreed by both the MoD and Dr Kelly. He gave evidence to the FAC in a televised hearing on July 15 and to the ISC the following day in private.

On July 14, Mr Gilligan sent his email to the committee, naming Dr Kelly as the source for a report by Susan Watts, the science editor of BBC2’s Newsnight.

Committee members then proceeded to question Dr Kelly about what he was quoted as saying over the question of whether Iraqi weapons of mass destruction could be launched within 45 minutes.

Lord Hutton said it was not possible to reach a conclusion about what Dr Kelly said to Mr Gilligan.

But he said he was satisfied Dr Kelly had not told him the British government probably knew or suspected the 45 minute claim was wrong when it drew up the dossier.