Blair defiant over WMDs as aides face Hutton censure

[DoYouEverWonder]

The Independent

26 January 2004

At least nine people - six associated with Tony Blair's government and three from the BBC - could be in the firing line when Lord Hutton delivers his much-anticipated report into the death of David Kelly on Wednesday.

The Independent has learned late submissions were made by the nine to Lord Hutton in the closing stages of the inquiry, following letters from him saying they face possible criticism. The Prime Minister's name does not appear among those making final submissions, indicating he is unlikely to receive direct condemnation.

Mr Blair insisted yesterday he still believes that evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, the justification given for going to war, will be discovered. But his position was undermined by Colin Powell, the United States' Secretary of State, who said that he did not know whether such an arsenal will ever be found. And Lewis Moonie, a defence minister at the time of the Iraq invasion, predicted that the Government may soon have to admit it was wrong about Saddam Hussein's alleged WMD capabilities.



So Hutton is going to point the finger at 9 people, 6 of them in Tony Blair's government. Between the Hutton report and David Kay admitting that there are no WMD's in Iraq, Tony may not be PM much longer?

[J B]

1. It avoids direct criticism of the PM. The inquiry did its 'job'.

The schitzo British system of government will be preserved, at least until it dumps on someone else's head when the system threatens to be toppled and kills someone else.

[HereSince1628]

2. Aligning with Dick Cheney seems like political suicide.

Does Tony have brain worms?

[JoFerret]

8. They must have a pic of him

with a donkey

[dudeness]

3. don't let the door hit your arse as you leave tony..

..

[AP]

4. Story that won't be discussed at DU: BBC's media whorishness.

[Gin]

5. The US counterpart is Kay...The intelligence community screwed up

not shrub.

[legin]

6. Hoon is probably gone

A BBC comentator said when this first all blew up a few months ago that the reason Hoon didn't resign at that time was because blair would need someone to resign after the Hutton report came out.

[AndyTiedye]

7. BFEE Must be Blackmailing Tony

Why else should he defy public opinion and his own party to do Bush*'s bidding?

[legin]

9. Could be a 3 for 3

Alastair Campbell gone already,
Geoff Hoon gone already but hasn't got around to handing in his resignation yet,
John Scarlett probably highly expendable.

The three civil servants never heard of them, probably never will again, highly likely to get shuffled around to some other department (you don't fire civil sevants in britain it's just not the done thing).

In return the government get Gilligan, the head of news, and the director general, possibly the last two in the early retirement sort of way.

Probably a fairly good trade as far as the government are concerned because it will mean they can put in their places people who would be regarded by New Labour as 'idealogically sound'.