BRITAIN: The key policy decisions which led to the unmasking of Dr David Kelly, the Iraqi weapons expert, were taken at a Downing Street meeting chaired by the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, the top civil servant at the Ministry of Defence disclosed yesterday.
Sir Kevin Tebbit told the Hutton inquiry that decisions were taken at the No 10 meeting both to issue an MoD press statement giving details of Dr Kelly and to confirm his identity if asked by journalists.
He repeatedly pointed the finger at Downing Street, emphasing the importance of the meeting, on July 8th, the day before Dr Kelly's name was identified by the media.
Pressed several times by Jeremy Gompertz QC, counsel for the Kelly family, on who took the decisions, Sir Kevin replied: "The change of stance, as you put it, was as a result of the meeting chaired by the Prime Minister."
Asked once more, he responded: "The decision was taken at the meeting in No 10."
The inquiry has heard that the crucial meeting, attended by Mr Alastair Campbell, the prime minister's then communications chief, Mr Jonathan Powell, his chief of staff, and Mr John Scarlett, chairman of the joint intelligence committee, agreed that the MoD issue a press statement, the first move in the outing strategy.