Alastair Campbell faces the music

Campbell refused twice to appear before the committee

It's a big day for the Prime Minister's communications chief and long-standing friend Alastair Campbell.

He's appearing in front of the House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs this morning, to explain his role in the gathering row over how intelligence was used to justify the war against Iraq.

As a Downing Street advisor, rather than a minister or civil servant, his appearance at this sort of hearing is virtually unprecedented.

This morning on Breakfast, we brought you the inside track on the growing row over the so-called "dodgy dossier" - the government's second public briefing on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction which was described yesterday by the Foreign Secretary as "a complete horlicks".

PhD plagiarism

Dr Marashi says he stands by his thesis

We talked live to the man who wrote the PhD thesis from which the government now admits it "borrowed" much of its information, for the second dossier.

Dr Ibhrahim Al Marashi told us he'd never been asked whether material could be used from his ten year old research work:

"I discovered it in the newspapers like everyone else," he said.

"At the time I was in California, so it was a shock to me."

"In the beginning I was flattered but as the story developed in the media, I was worried about the safety of my family back in Iraq: I could have been associated with British intelligence."

Downing Street has admitted not just lifting Dr Al Marashi's work, but also altering key phrases. Yesterday, the Foreign Secretary apologised for what had happened.

"The apolgy does satisfy me, although still we have not heard why my information was taken or why it was changed...but it did take five months."

Is it curtains for Campbell?

Breakfast talked to the BBC's one-time political correspondent Nick Jones, whose book The Sultans of Spin takes a close look at the work of New Labour's spin doctors.

"I think Alastair Campbell is going to have to say - yes, we cut corners," he told us.

The key question is - to what extent was the dossier authorised by Tony Blair himself - or was this an honest mistake by Downing Street staff?

He predicts that Alastair Campbell will not want to resign on this, even though he's reported to be on the lookout for a new job.

"There's no doubt that he has had enough - but if he walked away now it would be incredibly damaging to his reputation, " he told us.

Defence Secretary

We talked to the Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon about the Campbell hearing - and also yesterday's incident in Iraq in which six military police were killed.

"It wasn't the Government's finest hour. I accept that the necessary preparation that should have been made as far as that document was concerned was not done, " he told us

"I think it's important to allow Mr Campbell to set out his case."

He added: "Weapons of mass destruction are undoubtedly in Iraq and we will find them."

To have your say on this story, use this form to e-mail us here at Breakfast