David Kelly death cover-up claim as inquest demand rejected

Prime Minister David Cameron last month suggested a full inquest was unnecessary, saying the Hutton report into the government weapons inspector's death had been "fairly clear".

But a group of campaigning doctors, led by Dr Stephen Frost, accused the government of being "complicit in a determined and concerted cover-up", saying they would now seek a judicial review of Mr Grieve's decision.

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Mr Grieve told MPs the evidence that Dr Kelly took his own life was "overwhelming". There was no evidence to support claims he was murdered or "any kind of conspiracy theory", he said.

The scientist's body was found in woods close to his Oxfordshire home in 2003, shortly after he had been revealed as the source of a BBC report questioning the accuracy of a government dossier arguing the case for war in Iraq.

The Hutton Inquiry in 2004 found that Dr Kelly committed suicide, and then justice secretary Lord Falconer ruled the inquiry could take the place of an inquest in a coroner's court.

But the doctors pointed out that Lord Hutton spent only half a day of his 24-day inquiry considering the cause of Dr Kelly's death.

They have denounced the Hutton report as a "whitewash" which "failed adequately to address the cause of death itself and the manner of death".

They argued: "No coroner in the land would have reached a suicide verdict on the evidence which Lord Hutton heard.

"The coroner is required to hear evidence which constitutes proof beyond reasonable doubt that the deceased killed himself and that he intended to kill himself, before he may return a verdict of suicide. Lord Hutton did not hear evidence which came near to satisfying that test."

Dr Frost said: "It is therefore very surprising and perplexing that the Attorney General today supports those who wish to deny Dr Kelly a proper inquest.

"This is clearly a political decision when it should have been a decision based solely on the law.

"This government has now revealed itself to be complicit in a determined and concerted cover-up." He condemned the "deeply flawed" decision and called for Mr Grieve to resign.

He added: "We intend vigorously to contest the decision of the Attorney General at the High Court of Justice through judicial review of that decision.

Earlier, former prime minister Tony Blair told the BBC Breakfast programme that as far as he knew the questions surrounding Dr Kelly's death had been answered by the Hutton report and that he "frankly" doubted that the Attorney General had different information.

Mr Grieve also offered his "sincere sympathy" to Dr Kelly's family, "not simply for their loss, great though that undoubtedly is, but for having to bear that loss in the glare of intrusive publicity over such a long period of time".

"While I realise that it will always be impossible to satisfy everyone, I would hope for their sakes that a line can now be drawn under this matter."A key focus of the doctors' concerns were the differing descriptions from witnesses as to how Dr Kelly's body was found, and whether it had been moved, Mr Grieve said.

He insisted all the evidence from the careful forensic examination of the scene and his own detailed review supports the view that "Dr Kelly died where he was found and from the causes determined".

"There is no evidence I've seen that would suggest any other explanation, or that would suggest any cover-up or conspiracy whatsoever," he said.