Hutton to step down as Law Lord

Lord Hutton is expected to report in the New Year

Lord Hutton is to retire as a law lord shortly before he publishes his report into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly.

The 72-year-old peer will step down on 11 January, 2004. The report is widely tipped to be published on 12 January.

A statement on the Hutton Inquiry website said his retirement would have no effect on his work in writing his report on the six-week inquiry.

A law lord sits in the Lords and hears final appeals on legal cases.

Lord Hutton, who is a crossbench peer, heard evidence into Dr Kelly's death during the summer.

'No leaking'

The statement said he informed Lord Bingham, the senior law lord, of his intention to retire a number of months before he was appointed to conduct the inquiry.

"His retirement will have no effect on his work in writing his report," the statement said.

Dr Kelly was a weapons' inspector in Iraq

"If it has not been completed by 11 January, 2004, he will complete his work on the report after his retirement."

The government and the BBC have already been told they will have just 24 hours notice of the contents of Lord Hutton's report before it is released.

Lee Hughes, secretary to the inquiry, said this was to ensure that there was "no leaking" of parts of the report before it is published.

It means all parties involved in the inquiry, including Dr Kelly's family, will receive copies at the same time.

'Bolt from the blue'?

Mr Hughes said Lord Hutton was "well advanced" with the writing of his report.

Although he could not give a precise date when it will be made public, many commentators claim 12 January is being mooted as a possibility.

The government will have no prior knowledge of the contents before the other parties Lee Hughes Secretary to the Hutton Inquiry

The fact that Lord Hutton has no plans to send out early drafts of his report could mean ministers and the BBC only having hours to react to its potentially damaging contents.

One official said the report was "going to come as a bolt from the blue".

"We're being given no advance warning at all."

Mr Hughes dismissed suggestion that the parties affected would not have an opportunity to challenge findings before the report was published.

"There is no risk that persons will not have adequate advance warning of criticisms which may be made of them," he said.

Iraq war

Between the first and second stages of his inquiry, Lord Hutton had confidential letters sent out to those who may have been criticised to give them a chance to answer that criticism.

"If there is to be any additional criticism of a person in the report which was not set out in such a letter, that person will be given notice of it and will have an opportunity to respond well in advance of the publication of the report," Mr Hughes said.

Lord Hutton is expected to issue his report to Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor, in January.

It is reported that Lord Hutton will want a commitment from the prime minister that MPs will be able to debate his findings within a week.

Dr Kelly was found dead at an Oxfordshire beauty spot near his home in July, just days after he appeared before the Commons foreign affairs select committee.

The former UN weapons inspector apparently committed suicide shortly after being named as the suspected source for Andrew Gilligan's BBC report claiming the government "sexed up" a dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.