In the early 2000s, the British government, led by Tony Blair, was involved in a bitter dispute with the BBC over its reporting on the war in Iraq. The BBC had alleged that the government had “sexed up” intelligence on Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in order to justify the war. The dispute culminated in the suicide of a government scientist, Dr. David Kelly, and the Hutton Inquiry, which found that the government had not “sexed up” the intelligence, but that the BBC had made false allegations. Despite this favourable verdict, the Iraq War continued to haunt Blair, and the inquiry did not bring closure as he had hoped. The inquiry also exposed the flawed intelligence that was used to justify the invasion, and the lack of a plan for the aftermath of the war. The tragic death of Dr. Kelly remains the most enduring legacy of this bitter dispute between the government and the BBC.
Whitewash: The Tragic End of David Kelly
Tony Blair arrives in Japan with his wife, Cherie, in July 2003
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In July 2003, Tony Blair faced one of his lowest points as the UK Prime Minister. The apparent suicide of David Kelly, a 59-year-old scientist and leading expert on weapons of mass destruction (WMD), had led to accusations that there was “blood on his hands”.
The previous week, Kelly had been exposed as the source of a BBC story claiming that a Downing Street dossier on Iraq’s WMD had been “sexed up” to justify the US-UK military action against Saddam Hussein’s regime. The dossier alleged that Iraq could deploy some of its chemical or biological weapons “within 45 minutes of an order to do so”. However, no WMD had yet been found, even though Blair was convinced they existed when he based his case for war on them.
David Kelly arrives at the House of Commons in July 2003
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Kelly had been harassed after admitting to the Ministry of Defence that he had briefed Andrew Gilligan, the BBC journalist whose unscripted remarks on Radio 4’s Today programme would provoke a war of words between Number 10 and the BBC. Gilligan alleged that the government probably knew the 45-minute figure was wrong even before it decided to include it in the dossier, and that Downing Street had ordered it to be “sexed up”.
Andrew Gilligan arrives at the High Court to give evidences at the Hutton inquiry in August 2003
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The BBC stood its ground, even though Kelly was not an intelligence source and had played no part in compiling the dossier. Alastair Campbell, the Number 10 director of communications, accused the BBC of “a fundamental attack upon the integrity of the government, the prime minister, the intelligence agencies.” He wrote in his diary that he wanted to “nail Gilligan completely”.
Despite Blair’s attempts to reach a compromise with the BBC, the situation escalated when Kelly admitted he had spoken to Gilligan. Campbell’s diary recorded him saying it would “f*** Gilligan” if Kelly turned out to be his source.
Hot off the press: The Indy’s cover story, 29 January 2004
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The Hutton Inquiry was set up to examine Kelly’s death, but it is remembered for the ferocious battle between the government and the BBC. Kelly’s death was a tragedy that tarnished New Labour and led to questions about the UK’s involvement in the Iraq War.
Alastair Campbell arrives at the High Court to be cros- examined
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The Tragedy of David Kelly: A Political Scandal
David Kelly’s death by suicide sent shockwaves through the UK political establishment in July 2003. It occurred just as the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was riding high after a successful speech to both houses of the US Congress. Blair was devastated and quickly ordered an inquiry into the tragedy before one was forced upon him.
The Hutton Report was published in January 2004
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Blair claimed that he wanted an impartial chair for the inquiry, but his close allies admit that they wanted an establishment figure who would give the government the benefit of the doubt. They found one in Lord Brian Hutton, a law lord and former lord chief justice in Northern Ireland. Hutton proved to be an inspired choice for Blair, delivering a verdict unadulterated and with every question answered.
Hutton’s inquiry shone a searchlight on the inner workings of the government, providing a rare exercise in transparency. The hearings saw 74 witnesses give evidence lasting 110 hours across 24 days of a long hot summer. Government documents and internal emails were released in full, revealing a much broader picture than the snapshot of Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages.
As political editor of The Independent at the time, the verdict delivered by Hutton did not reflect the weight of the evidence he had heard, in the eyes of many who attended the inquiry. There were questions about how Kelly’s name emerged into the public glare and journalists, egged on by Number 10, tried to out him.
The Hutton Inquiry is remembered for the ferocious battle between the government and the BBC. Kelly’s death was a tragedy that tarnished New Labour and led to questions about the UK’s involvement in the Iraq War. Almost 20 years on, one close ally of Blair recalled to The Independent: “He was devastated. He was in a terrible state. I have never known him be so low.”
The Hutton Inquiry: A Controversial Verdict
The naming of David Kelly during the Hutton Inquiry caused significant anxiety in Downing Street during the investigation. While Tony Blair claimed that he did not authorize the leaking of Kelly’s name, the inquiry revealed that Blair had chaired the meeting that approved the “naming strategy.” The government did not hand Kelly’s name to the media, but the Ministry of Defence would not deny it if his name were put to it. A guessing game then ensued, leading to the inevitable outcome.
Hutton’s 740-page report in January 2004 largely exonerated the government and criticized the BBC. He found that the accusation by Andrew Gilligan was “unfounded” and that the BBC’s editorial and management processes were “defective.” The governors were also criticized for not being “diligent.” Hutton concluded that the dossier was in line with available intelligence, although the Joint Intelligence Committee, chaired by John Scarlett, might have been “subconsciously influenced” by the government.
However, some people believed that the Hutton Inquiry was a fix from beginning to end. Despite Team Blair’s relief at its clear victory, the report was met with a hostile reaction by the media. The Independent famously led the way with a front page consisting largely of white space and the word “whitewash.” Although Blair and his allies were relieved at the verdict, they managed to turn it into a kind of defeat.
Blair’s critics, particularly those opposed to the Iraq War, were bound to invent a conspiracy and cover-up, no matter what Hutton concluded. Mandelson described it as “as if we won a football match 5-0 but the reporters covering it decided it was a draw and a couple of days later decided we had lost.”
In conclusion, the Hutton Inquiry’s verdict remains a controversial issue. While some believed it was well-managed and well-delivered, others saw it as a fix from beginning to end. Regardless, the naming of David Kelly and the fallout from the inquiry had a lasting impact on the Blair government and New Labour.
Blair’s Reaction to the Naming of Kelly
Blair was told of Kelly’s death by suicide during a flight from Washington to Tokyo. Kelly’s death caught Blair by surprise and dampened his mood, sending him to a terrible state, according to one of his close allies. Blair ordered an inquiry into the tragedy to find out what led to Kelly’s death. Blair’s close allies, however, wanted an establishment figure who would give the government the benefit of the doubt. Blair eventually chose Lord (Brian) Hutton, a law lord and former lord chief justice in Northern Ireland, as the inquiry’s chairperson. Hutton’s inquiry brought to light the workings of the government, providing a much broader picture of the situation.
The Hutton Inquiry
Blair viewed Hutton’s appointment as an inspired choice because he was aware of Hutton’s reputation for delivering clear-cut verdicts with every question answered. The inquiry saw 74 witnesses giving evidence lasting 110 hours across 24 days of the summer. The inquiry produced a clear-cut verdict beyond the wildest hopes of Team Blair, which did not reflect the weight of the evidence heard. Hutton concluded that the government’s dossier was in line with the available intelligence, although the Joint Intelligence Committee might have been subconsciously influenced by the government. Hutton found that Gilligan’s accusation was unfounded and that the BBC’s editorial and management processes were defective.
Fallout from the Hutton Inquiry
Blair’s critics, particularly those opposed to the Iraq war, were dissatisfied with Hutton’s report and saw it as a whitewash. Despite Team Blair’s relief at the inquiry’s outcome, the government still managed to turn it into a defeat with a series of own goals. During the war of words with the BBC, Blair promised the government would not call for BBC heads to roll if the corporation was criticized. But no one, not even Blair, could hold Campbell back. Campbell held his news conference, saying heads would have rolled if he or someone under him had been found guilty in the way the BBC had.
The Aftermath
Blair’s actions led to Davies resigning, and Greg Dyke, the director-general, following suit. The BBC later apologized, even though it had initially rejected its lawyers’ advice that Hutton’s findings were flawed. Some Labor figures felt that Campbell pursued the wrong target by attacking the BBC instead of the real enemy: hostile newspapers. Campbell is unrepentant, saying, “Andrew Gilligan lied about Iraq.” In retrospect, some of Blair’s colleagues believed that Campbell’s battle kept Iraq, Blair’s integrity, and New Labour’s infamous reputation for spin in the headlines for months.
The Fallout from Hutton’s Inquiry
The Hutton Inquiry, established to investigate the BBC’s allegations that Tony Blair’s government exaggerated intelligence reports to justify the Iraq War, found the BBC guilty of “unfounded” accusations and concluded that the government’s dossier on Iraq was “in line with available intelligence.” However, the report failed to bring closure on Iraq as Blair had hoped.
Blair promised that the government would not call for BBC heads to roll if it was criticized after the Hutton report, but Alastair Campbell, Blair’s communications director, held his own news conference and said heads would have rolled if someone under him had been found guilty in the same way the BBC had. This led to Gavyn Davies, chair of the BBC’s governors, resigning. Davies viewed this as Blair breaking their understanding and the BBC issued an unreserved apology, to the consternation of many of its staff.
Gilligan’s “Sexed-up” Report
Andrew Gilligan, a BBC journalist, accused the government of exaggerating intelligence reports on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threat. Gilligan’s “sexed-up” claim was not an accusation of lying, merely of exaggerating the WMD threat. Although he later watered down his statement, he still insisted that his story was “very substantially correct” and is “very proud” to have done it. One Blair ally agreed with Gilligan in principle but said he was wrong in his details. There was indeed a debate with the intelligence community about bringing their words about WMD in the dossier into line with Blair’s foreword. As a result, their words were “hardened up.”
The Death of Dr. Kelly
Dr. David Kelly, a highly respected scientist and WMD expert, was exposed as Gilligan’s source. The Hutton Inquiry heard that Blair chaired the crucial meeting that approved the “naming strategy” for Kelly. In a cop-out, the government would not hand Kelly’s name to the media, but the Ministry of Defense would not deny it if his name were put to it. A guessing game then ensued, and Kelly took his own life.
Hutton found that Kelly’s public exposure must have brought about a total loss of self-esteem, a feeling that people had lost trust in him. Dr. Kelly felt betrayed after giving his life to the service of his country. He was used as a pawn in the political battle between the government and the BBC.
Legacy of the Hutton Report
The Hutton Report largely exonerated the government, turned its fire on the BBC, and found that Gilligan’s original accusation was “unfounded,” the BBC’s editorial and management processes “defective,” and its governors not “diligent.” However, the inquiry failed to bring closure to the Iraq War. The aftermath of the invasion resulted in chaos on the ground, and there was no plan for its aftermath. Blair won a third general election victory in 2005, but the Iraq war continues to haunt him today.
The report is remembered today for the ferocious battle between the government and the BBC rather than for what it should have been – the tragic death of a highly respected scientist.
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