Howard presses Blair over Hutton

The Hutton inquiry invited people to correct factual errors

Tory leader Michael Howard has stepped up the pressure on Tony Blair ahead of the report into the death of Iraq weapons expert Dr David Kelly.

Mr Howard quizzed Mr Blair over his role in Dr Kelly being named as the possible source of BBC reports that the threat from Iraq had been exaggerated.

Meanwhile, Lord Hutton stressed there was "nothing surprising" in ministers making a late submission to him.

The BBC and Dr Kelly's family had also taken up his invitation to do the same.

Lord Hutton's report into Dr Kelly's death is expected within weeks.

The written submissions, also made by BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan after the end of the public hearings, will not be published before the full report.

Lord Hutton accepted the various parties' arguments that publication could encourage trial by media of various people who might not be criticised in his report.

He said he was still considering publishing the statements once his findings are unveiled.

'Totality'

Dr Kelly was found dead in July shortly after being named as the person the government believed was the source for a BBC Today programme report on the Iraq weapons dossier.

The report was of claims the dossier had been "sexed up" just before publication at the behest of Downing Street.

At prime minister's questions, the Tory leader pushed Mr Blair over his comments to journalists shortly after Dr Kelly's death denying he had authorised the naming of Dr Kelly to the media.

Either the permanent secretary or the prime minister is not telling the truth Michael Howard Conservative leader

Mr Howard said this contradicted evidence from the Ministry of Defence's top civil servant to the Hutton inquiry.

That official, Sir Kevin Tebbit, suggested Mr Blair had chaired the meeting at which the decision was taken to confirm Dr Kelly's name to journalists.

Mr Howard said: "Either the permanent secretary or the prime minister is not telling the truth."

He asked whether the prime minister would quit if he had lied to Parliament.

The Tory leader said he was looking forward to tackling Mr Blair once the report was published.

He is raising the issue now although the truth of Mr Blair's remarks to journalists about the naming of Dr Kelly does not fall within the scope of Lord Hutton's inquiry.

Mr Blair said he stood by the "totality" of what he had said about the naming of Dr Kelly.

He continued: "Since we are about to have a report that will indeed decide whether or whether people have not lied to Parliament, isn't it sensible to wait for the report rather than having this absurd preliminary now?

"As for your relish in examining me on the report - that I can tell you is equalled by mine in rebutting some of the rubbish you have been saying in the last few weeks."

Semantics?

During a flight to Hong Kong days after Dr Kelly's death, Mr Blair was asked: "Did you authorise anyone in Downing Street, or in the MoD, to release David Kelly's name?"

He replied: "As I said just a moment or two ago, emphatically not. I did not authorise the leaking of the name of David Kelly."

But asked about the MoD confirming the name, he said it was "a completely different matter once the name was out there".

BBC political editor Andrew Marr said: "This will become the distinction - between releasing a name and leaking a name.

"I think we're looking at detailed semantics. We are looking at what's a semi-colon, what's a dash, what's a full stop.

"Very often, these controversies come down to that, they did with President Clinton, they may do here."