The claim in BBC reports that the government "sexed up" its dossier on Iraq's weapons was "unfounded", says Lord Hutton. BBC castigated in Hutton report Key points from Lord Hutton's statement and Blair's response, in text and video The retired law lord is delivering his long-awaited report on the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly in a televised statement. He cleared the government of embellishing the September 2002 weapons of dossier with intelligence it thought was unreliable. And he criticised the BBC's checks before the broadcast the claims about the government and the way it rebutted Downing Street's complaints. Lord Hutton also said he was satisfied that Dr Kelly had killed himself after being named as the suspected source of the BBC's controversial weapons dossier story. "I am satisfied that Dr Kelly took his own life by cutting his left wrist," he said. Among his other findings are:
- BBC Today programme correspondent Andrew Gilligan made a "very grave allegation" when he said the government put the claim that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes knowing it was unreliable
- The suggestion that intelligence officers thought the claim was untrue was "unfounded"
- The BBC's editorial system "defective" as Mr Gilligan was allowed to broadcast serious allegations without approving his scripts.
- The BBC did not properly investigate the government's complaints and its governors should have realised this was not incompatible with their duty to protect the corporation's independence
- "There was no underhand strategy" by the government to leak Dr Kelly's name to the media
Lord Hutton's statement at the Royal Courts of Justice in London came ahead of his full 328-page report being published at 1330 GMT. Full story over at BBC News
