Campbell survives testing session

By Mark Davies BBC News Online political reporter at the Hutton Inquiry

Several thousand pounds-worth of an as yet unpublished manuscript went on show in London on Monday in a move which will have publishers everywhere licking their lips.

The tantalising glimpse of Alastair Campbell's diary at the Hutton Inquiry revealed three things; it'll need all his presentational skills before a final version, it won't need sexing up and it'll sell in barrowloads.

It had been a long afternoon on day 20 of the inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly.

A testing session for Mr Campbell

The opening session after lunch had been bowled by Jonathan Sumption QC, for the government. Naturally enough, this was a series of long hops and full tosses in order for Mr Campbell to get his eye in.

Indeed, Mr Sumption, who bobs and weaves as he delivers his questions, was even so kind as to ask some of the questions he assumed James Dingemans, counsel to the inquiry, would be posing later.

Then came the tricky twirlers of Andrew Caldecott QC on behalf of the BBC. Mr Caldecott bowled a long session, including the odd googly, during a tense exchange with Mr Campbell.

Irritation

Much of it centred on the drawing up of the Iraq dossier and included a detailed examination of the words and phrases used. In essence, had it been "sexed up".

If you are saying strong equals sexing up I don't accept that at all Alastair Campbell

The government media chief dealt with it as confidently as he had in his first appearance before the inquiry, only occasionally showing irritation with Mr Caldecott's line of questioning.

Wasn't it a damning admission to say he wanted the language in the dossier strengthened, suggested Mr Caldecott.

"If you are saying strong equals sexing up I don't accept that at all," said Mr Campbell wearily, but getting to the point.

At another point, the QC asked why minutes had not been taken of a key meeting on the preparation of the dossier.

If minutes were taken of every meeting he attended, said Mr Campbell with a faint sigh, there would be "a considerable cost to the Exchequer".

Four-letter

But if Mr Caldecott's spell at the stand had been engrossing, the afternoon livened up considerably when Mr Dingemans took over with his more fast-medium delivery.

You use words, the gist of which are 'it's going to be pretty bad for Mr Gilligan if that was his source' James Dingemans Counsel to the inquiry

For this was the first glimpse in print of Mr Campbell's famous diaries in all their four-letter glory.

Necks craned forward for a better view of the words on the screens as the author explained his thinking while "scribbling" the entries.

"You use words, the gist of which are 'it's going to be pretty bad for Mr (BBC reporter Andrew) Gilligan if that was his source,'" said Mr Dingemans, sparing the blushes of the more sensitive folk in the courtroom.

Mr Campbell allowed himself a cheeky smile, but it was a light moment in a tricky session for him as he tried to explain his jottings.

Lord Hutton asked him, for instance, to explain what the "it" was in "(Sir David Omand and Sir Kevin Tebbitt) didn't want to do it".

"It is me sitting down and scribbling whatever comes into my head," said Mr Campbell, which must be an alien concept for lawyers.

'Non denial-denial'

There was talk in his diary of getting the source out - wearing my journalist's hat, said Mr Campbell.

He also talks of wanting "a clear win, not a messy draw" in the dispute with the BBC and refers to a "non-denial denial".

Much of it clearly puzzled Mr Dingemans, and, it seemed, Lord Hutton too.

"We were briefing that they (the BBC) were going to have to apologise," said Mr Campbell at one point.

"How do you brief that they are going to apologise?", asked Mr Dingemans.

Mr Campbell eventually left the witness box after more than two hours of a session which was never truly gruelling but was certainly testing.

And - wearing his journalist's hat - he'll know that his feelings about Andrew Gilligan will be making headlines on Tuesday morning.