Campbell poised for Hutton questions

Lord Hutton is still to call many key figures

Downing Street communications chief Alastair Campbell will go before the Hutton inquiry into the death of David Kelly next week, it has been announced.

Other witnesses primed for questioning include Number 10 chief of staff Jonathan Powell and Tom Kelly, the spokesman who suggested Iraq weapons expert Dr Kelly was a "Walter Mitty" character.

The inquiry, which is not sitting on Friday, is examining the circumstances of Dr Kelly's death after he was named as the possible source of a BBC report claiming Downing Street "sexed up" Iraq's weapons capability to help make the case for war.

NEXT WEEK'S WITNESSES Monday: Pam Teare, Ministry of Defence Press Office head; Jonathan Powell, Number 10 chief of staff; David Manning, Tony Blair's foreign policy adviser Tuesday: David Manning continued; Alastair Campbell, Number 10 communication director Wednesday: Sir Kevin Tebbit, MoD permanent secretary; Godric Smith and Tom Kelly, prime minister's official spokesmen Thursday: Newspaper journalists Nick Rufford, James Blitz, Richard Norton-Taylor, Tom Baldwin; Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Donald Anderson; inquiry secretary Lee Hughes

David Manning, Tony Blair's foreign policy adviser, is among other witnesses promised for next week.

Also set to appear is Pam Teare, the Ministry of Defence press chief who is reported to have confirmed Dr Kelly's identity to journalists as the suspected source of the controversial BBC story.

A series of newspaper journalists will give evidence too, as will Donald Anderson, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, which publicly interviewed Dr Kelly in the week of his death.

Mr Campbell has been at the heart of the row since BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan said his source had claimed the communications chief was responsible for "transforming" last September's dossier in the week before publication.

Mr Campbell is likely to be asked by the inquiry about his role in preparing the dossier and his involvement in Dr Kelly's name becoming public.

The inquiry has also seen the barrage of complaints he sent to the BBC about its coverage of the Iraq issue.

On Thursday the inquiry heard how the row over the BBC report went to the top of government.

HUTTON INQUIRY Set up after apparent suicide of Dr David Kelly in July Dr Kelly was government expert in Iraq weapons programmes He was named as source of controversial BBC report Report alleged government had 'sexed up' a dossier on Iraq's weapons capability Government denies the allegations How the dossier changed Key points: Day four

It heard from Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office officials.

It emerged Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon had over-ruled his most senior civil servant by deciding Dr Kelly should appear before MPs investigating how the case for war was presented.

The inquiry also heard that Prime Minister Tony Blair believed Dr Kelly should be asked for more details of his meeting with Mr Gilligan.

Two meetings between Dr Kelly and MoD bosses were held in the days before his death, the inquiry heard.

It was also shown how the dossier's language - concerning the claim that Iraq could deploy weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes - was first weakened and then strengthened in the days before publication.

Martin Howard, the MoD's deputy chief of intelligence, accepted the wording appeared to have been "noticeably hardened" before publication.

'Pivotal questions'

Conservative shadow cabinet minister David Davis, who has witnessed most of the inquiry, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "This is a week in which neither side, to be honest, has come out very well.

"I have to say at the end of the week, Mr Gilligan is probably right in principle if wrong in detail."

Mr Davis said the inquiry would focus for the next few weeks on why Dr Kelly was named as Mr Gilligan's possible source, and who authorised his naming.

After Thursday's evidence, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell said Mr Hoon would have some explaining to do.

"It would be illuminating to know if anyone in Number 10 had a hand in the defence secretary's decision."