The government has fallen deeper into the mire over the arms-to-Africa row after MPs heard a minister HAD been told of the customs investigation into the alleged sanctions busting.

Senior civil servant Sir John Kerr, in a halting performance before the powerful foreign affairs select committee of MPs, admitted Foreign Office Minister Baroness Symons was briefed on the probe on March 10.

That was the same day she addressed the House of Lords on the issue and two days before her colleague Tony Lloyd made a statement in the Commons. Yet neither minister mentioned the investigation.

Foreign Secretary Robin Cook's repeated assurances that ministers have done nothing wrong, and the prime minister's attempt to dismiss the issue as "hoo-ha" are now looking increasingly lame.

The latest revelation saw Sir John warned by angry MPs that that unless he answered their questions, the committee could find him in contempt of parliament.

Independent inquiry threatened

Time and again he suggested he could not answer questions because it could prejudice the independent inquiry set up by the government to investigate the affair.

But his performance infuriateed the MPs and led to claims that, despite assurances from Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, there had been an attempt to cover up the entire affair.

It was the civil servant's second difficult appearance before the committee. And each time he appears, matters become more murky.

During his first grilling he said Mr Lloyd had been briefed on the inquiry but later wrote to the MPs to correct his evidence, insisting the minister had not been briefed.

The latest appearance has only made matters worse and the Foreign Office and ministers are looking increasingly uncomfortable amid the welter of contradictory evidence.

Commons statements

Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has already been forced to make two full Commons statements on the issue and, on both occassions, left shadow spokesman Michael Howard claiming he had deliberately avoided answering the difficult questions.

His bid to head off awkward questioning in the Commons by setting up an independent inquiry has not helped. Sir John was clearly trying not to undermine that investigation by giving partial information to the select committee.

But the effect was to give the impression of a Foreign Office in which either the left hand did not know what the right was doing, or in which there was a deliberate cover up.

Mr Howard has now suggested that either Baroness Symons misled the House of Lords by accident, in which case she should apologise in person, or by design, in which case she should resign.

One thing is certain, the longer the MPs probe the affair, the more trouble the government finds itself in.

The independent investigation should report back before parliament rises for its summer recess and MPs will now be eager to go through it with a fine toothcomb.