Desperate Blair blames Hoon

In an effort to shift attention away from the Prime Minister and on to Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, aides stressed that the decision to name Kelly as the likely source of claims the government "sexed up" its second Iraq dossier was "purely a Ministry of Defence operation".

The desperate move to bolster Blair followed public calls for his resignation from a former minister, and an incident on his Japanese tour where he was left speechless by the question from a journalist: "Do you have blood on your hands, Prime Minister?"

Senior Blair allies were also briefing behind the scenes to save the career of Alastair Campbell. The sources rejected claims that Kelly was used as the fall-guy to rescue Campbell from allegations that he had altered the dossier to boost the case for war against Iraq.

Meanwhile, the human cost of the dossier feud was brought home to all involved when Kelly’s widow and three daughters broke their silence to complain that his life had been made "intolerable" by the controversy.

The extent of Kelly’s anguish in his final hours was made shockingly clear by the results of a post-mortem examination that showed he had taken powerful painkillers and then slashed his left wrist.

But if, as many believe, Kelly was a tragic victim of government spin, there was little sign last night of Downing Street changing its ways.

Despite the government’s official position that it would wait for the outcome of a judicial inquiry into the Kelly case before making a detailed comment, Blair aides were last night pointing the finger at the MoD.

One Downing Street insider issued a robust defence of Blair’s conduct during the lengthy row over the ‘dodgy’ dossier.

He also rejected allegations that the Downing Street "spin machine" had led the campaign to finger Kelly as the source of the story, to name him and then ensure he testified before a committee of MPs investigating the allegations. Blair’s team were keen to "clear" Campbell of the charges against him. "As far as we are concerned, this was done by the book," the source insisted. "But Downing Street was not involved in this process.

"It was handled by the MoD. It was purely an MoD operation."

The claim immediately thrust the spotlight on to Hoon, whose department faces fierce criticism over its treatment of Kelly. But MoD insiders in turn sought to save Hoon’s political career, insisting that all decisions over Kelly’s treatment were taken by the department’s top official, Sir Kevin Tebbit.

"I didn’t even know this guy’s name until it was in the papers," one said last night. "The officers took charge. They have done this type of thing before. To say it was politically motivated ignores the facts and is unfair to the politicians."

Hoon was forced to defend himself publicly amid intense scrutiny over how Kelly was identified as the possible source of the BBC story, how his name was leaked to the press, and why he was forced to give evidence before the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Scotland on Sunday understands that the MoD demanded that Kelly should be accompanied by a "minder" before, during and after his committee appearance, in a clear indication that the department was concerned about the impact such public exposure could have upon him.

Hoon admitted that he had asked the committee to "be gentle" with Kelly, indicating that the MoD were concerned about the stress the experience was putting him under. Hoon also made an unusual request for them to limit its inquisition to 45 minutes, arguing that Kelly was due to give evidence to the second inquiry, by the Intelligence and Security Committee, later the same day.

"My fear was that for anyone giving evidence to a select committee there is obvious pressure and stress. I wanted to make sure for someone who had not been through that before, that the committee chairman recognised this fact."

Hoon denied his decision to name Kelly as the likely source for the "sexed-up" claims and to allow him to face hostile questioning from the Commons’ foreign affairs committee had been a contributory factor in the scientist’s suicide.

Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith sought to capitalise on the confusion by calling on Blair to recall parliament from its summer recess to discuss the issue.

The continuing complaints about the damage wrought by spin-doctoring in the aftermath of the suicide raised further questions about the close relationship between the Prime Minister and his head of communications.

Campbell, who did not accompany Blair on the Far East leg of his tour, refused to speak to journalists yesterday, but Scotland on Sunday understands that he had told friends he had done nothing to warrant his resignation.

But David Clark, former

adviser to the then Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, claimed Campbell was now "a liability".

"When we are in a situation where a press secretary is chairing meetings of the Joint Intelligence Committee, something unique is happening to the British constitution," he told Scotland on Sunday. "Campbell’s position has become untenable."

The Prime Minister himself faced calls for his resignation from his former minister Glenda Jackson, who condemned the "shameful" treatment Kelly had endured.

"I have to say it seems to me that the Prime Minister should really be reconsidering his position," she said. "Ministers are responsible for actions and the actions that were engaged in by No 10... in my opinion, a clear political case must be answered by those who are ultimately responsible."

In a risky tactic, only hours after saying he would not discuss the government’s role in the events leading up to Kelly’s death, Blair agreed yesterday afternoon to a television interview to be broadcast this morning on Sky News’ Sunday with Adam Boulton.

And yesterday one of his closest allies fought back, launching a fresh assault on the BBC. Former Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson blamed the BBC and its "obsession" with Alastair Campbell for the tragic turn of events.

But even as Blair and allies tried to rebuild public confidence in his leadership, the Labour party last night appeared to be on the brink of civil war.

Jackson, the former Labour Transport Minister, became the latest ex-minister to call for the Prime Minister to quit when she described Kelly’s death as "unspeakable".

"Bullets should be bitten," she said. "I don’t see how the government is going to be able to function adequately. This is going to be hanging over the government for the whole period of the judicial inquiry."

Her dramatic intervention followed earlier calls for Blair to step aside from the former international development secretary Clare Short and backbench Labour MPs.

In a bid to stop matters getting completely out of control for the government, George Foulkes, the former international development and Scotland Office minister, launched an outspoken attack on "self-indulgent" former ministers who, he said, were now out to cause trouble for Blair.

He said: "Clare Short said to me months ago that if she went she would bring Tony Blair down with her, and she is now trying to do that. Robin Cook still nurtures a notion that if everyone else falls by the wayside he may become Labour leader."

Kelly will be remembered at a civic service at Lichfield Anglican Cathedral today.

The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, will be critical of sections of the media, saying in a sermon that people know the answer to questions Kelly was being asked, yet remain silent.