Mr Alastair Campbell, the British prime minister's former director of communications and strategy, insisted yesterday that he had told the truth about the David Kelly affair from start to finish.
But he accused the BBC "from the chairman and director general down" of not doing the same. Mr Campbell, in a televised statement, said he hoped the media would learn the lessons of the Kelly affair.
He added that the BBC's allegations - that he and others in Downing Street exaggerated intelligence to support the case for war in Iraq - were so grave because they had been broadcast by an organisation that was supposed to have a reputation for accuracy and fairness.
"What the \ report shows very clearly is this: the prime minister told the truth, the government told the truth, I told the truth. The BBC, from the chairman and director general down, did not. Today the stain on the integrity of the prime minister and the government has been removed."
Mr Campbell went on: "Lord Hutton has made clear that the allegations made by the Today programme and the Mail on Sunday were of the utmost gravity and were untrue."
Mr Blair's former director of communications and strategy, who resigned last year, said "it means a great deal" to his family and former staff that Lord Hutton had reached that conclusion.
He praised the BBC's reputation and said "it's precisely because these allegations were broadcast by the BBC" that they had such effect, both at home and abroad.
Mr Campbell continued: "I find it hard to imagine a more serious allegation. It has led to months of sustained questioning of my honesty and integrity in parliament and the media and I am grateful to Lord Hutton for the clarity with which he has rejected the allegations against me. It was a fundamental attack on the integrity of the intelligence agencies and the entire Government."
He said there were often false reports in the media which the government did not strive to correct but these allegations were "so wrong and so damaging they had to be challenged".
The ex-spin doctor said: "I no longer work for the government but I do feel compelled to say this: if the government had faced the level of criticism that today Lord Hutton has directed to the BBC, there would clearly have been resignations by now - several resignations at several levels."
He stressed there were "many good British journalists" but said: "Having been in both journalism and politics, I would say this: if the public knew the truth about politicians, they would be pleasantly surprised. If the public knew the truth about the way certain sections of our media operate, they would be absolutely horrified." - (PA)