BBC boss faces Hutton Inquiry questions
The inquiry into the death of weapons expert David Kelly was resuming today, with BBC director general Greg Dyke giving evidence for the first time.
Mr Dyke was expected to be questioned over the corporation’s staunch support for its journalist Andrew Gilligan, whose report claimed Downing Street “sexed up” the British government’s Iraq weapons dossier.
Today’s hearing will end speculation over whether embattled UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon will be called back to give evidence under cross-examination when the list of recalled witnesses is announced.
Mr Hoon was widely expected to face more questions about his involvement in the decision to name Dr Kelly as the probable source for Mr Gilligan’s report.
During his first appearance at the inquiry he made no mention of a meeting in the Ministry of Defence at which the “naming strategy” was discussed.
But his own special adviser Richard Taylor has since told Lord Hutton that the meeting was held with Mr Hoon in the Defence Secretary’s office on July 9.
Others who could be asked to give further evidence include Mr Gilligan and outgoing No 10 communications director Alastair Campbell.
Counsel to the inquiry James Dingemans QC was expected to name those witnesses to be recalled for the second phase of the investigation in a statement when the hearing restarts.
After Mr Dingemans’s statement, Lord Hutton will hear evidence from Air Marshal Joe French and Tony Cragg, from the Ministry of Defence, Dr Richard Scott, from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and Mr Dyke.
Mr French was head of the DIS at the time the September weapons dossier was drafted.
The air marshal also had a seat on the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), which considered which information should be included in the dossier.
The inquiry has heard that some officials within the DIS were unhappy with the way the dossier was drafted.
Mr French has previously given evidence to the Intelligence and Security Committee, in which he described disagreements during the weekly assessments of intelligence as part of “lively debate” within the intelligence services.
His evidence will be followed by Tony Cragg, his former deputy at the DIS.
Both men have since retired.
The inquiry has previously heard evidence from Brian Jones, a former senior official in the DIS, who said he wrote to Mr Cragg on September 19 last year with several concerns about the dossier.
Mr Jones told Lord Hutton that he believed the dossier was “over-egged”, and that DIS officials were unhappy with the detail within it but “that the shutters had come down”.
Mr Cragg’s evidence will be followed by testimony from unnamed witnesses, listed only as “security staff”.
The inquiry will then hear from Dr Richard Scott, of the British Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory, and from Mr Dyke, who was also expected to be quizzed on Mr Gilligan’s e-mails to members of the Commons foreign affairs committee.
In these messages the BBC reporter suggested questions which could be put to Dr Kelly when he appeared before the committee.
Lord Hutton heard 15 days of evidence from 63 witnesses before his week-long adjournment. He has said he will sit for eight more days before retiring on Thursday September 25 to write his report.
Other witnesses widely expected to be summoned back to courtroom 73 in the Royal Courts of Justice are the chairman of the JIC John Scarlett, MoD permanent secretary Sir Kevin Tebbit, MoD personnel director Richard Hatfield and MoD director of news Pam Teare.
The BBC director of news Richard Sambrook may also be asked back.
Lord Hutton has stressed that the fact that a witness is recalled should not give rise to assumptions that they would face criticism in his report.
There were allegations yesterday that a key claim in last September’s Government dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was based on a single source.
According to The Observer, the inquiry will publish memos from DIS officials expressing concern about the claim that Iraq continued to produce chemical and biological weapons.
