ALASTAIR Campbell authorised a “substantial rewrite” of the government?s dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) after a discussion with Tony Blair, according to a damning e-mail produced in evidence yesterday at the Hutton inquiry. <\/p>\n
The order to rewrite the dossier was given on 5 September 2002, five days before the claim that Iraq could launch WMD at 45 minutes? notice was inserted into the document. <\/p>\n
But even after the rewrite, there were still concerns within No 10 that it failed to make a strong enough case for war. Jonathan Powell, Mr Blair?s chief of staff, warned “the document does nothing to demonstrate a threat, let alone an imminent threat from Saddam”. <\/p>\n
In another damaging day for the government, there were fresh insights yesterday into how far Downing Street was prepared to go to rubbish claims in a BBC report that it had “sexed-up” the dossier to strengthen the case for war. <\/p>\n
The inquiry heard how Mr Blair himself wanted the weapons expert Dr David Kelly to face a public grilling over whether he was the source of the BBC story, and an e-mail from Tom Kelly – the Downing Street spin doctor who smeared Dr Kelly by describing him as a “Walter Mitty” figure – admitted: “This is now a game of chicken with the Beeb – they [sic] only way they will shift is if they see the screw tightening.”<\/i><\/p>\n
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