No 10 admits attempt to smear Dr Kelly

DOWNING Street was yesterday forced to admit that one of its top officials smeared Dr David Kelly, the late government weapons adviser, as a "Walter Mitty character" three days before his funeral.

Tom Kelly, one of two official spokesmen for Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, has privately admitted that he was the source who cast aspersions on the credibility of Dr Kelly, the weapons expert who is to be buried tomorrow.

His confession humiliated No 10, which had categorically denied any of its staff had attempted to blacken Dr Kelly’s name in a bid to discredit him.

The row flared yesterday morning, when a No 10 spokeswoman flatly rejected a story in the Independent newspaper that No 10 "sources" were already portraying Dr Kelly as a fantasist in the league of the fictional Walter Mitty.

"I don’t know where this comment has come from, but we do want to make it absolutely clear that nobody with either the Prime Minister’s or anybody else in Downing Street’s approval would say such a thing," said the press officer.

But later, the Independent said it may have a tape recording where a senior No 10 spokesman - now known to be Mr Kelly - repeats the phrase "Walter Mitty" twice. This would prove the denial was false.

Downing Street then withdrew its denial and said only that "it’s impossible to keep track of what everyone is saying 24 hours a day". The press officer suggested that remarks may have been "misinterpreted".

John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, who has taken over from Mr Blair while he is on holiday in Barbados, reacted furiously to the row when it became clear that No 10’s morning denial was false. He took the unusual step of releasing a statement condemning the comments.

"I do not believe these unsubstantiated remarks about Dr Kelly," he said. "I trust that no-one in government would comment on Dr Kelly at such a sensitive time, before the funeral and while the Hutton Inquiry is under way."

The Deputy Prime Minister, known for his long-standing dislike of No 10’s spin machine, added that he has taken formal action. "I have emphasised this point to the Cabinet Secretary," he said.

Minutes afterwards, No 10 confirmed it had indeed spoken to the Independent and sought to play down its comments.

"Any conversation was simply looking at the questions for all concerned that the inquiry would have to answer," the press officer said. "It was not intended as an official briefing, nor does it reflect the government’s view, which is that only the Hutton Inquiry can answer those questions."

Downing Street said it has not launched an investigation into who gave the briefing. However, Mr Prescott’s decision to involve Sir Andrew was interpreted as a clue pointing to Mr Kelly.

Sir Andrew is in charge of the civil servants, such as Mr Blair’s official spokesmen. But he has no power over special advisers such as Alastair Campbell, who is on holiday in France.

Dr Kelly’s credibility will soon be a vitally important question for the government as off-the-record interviews he gave to the BBC are likely to be released as part of the inquiry into his apparent suicide on 17 July.

He is expected to name Mr Campbell while criticising the dossier on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. This would back up the BBC in its battle with No 10 over its story that an unnamed source, now known to be Dr Kelly, suggested the dossier had been "sexed up".

Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, denounced the remarks as "the most tasteless intervention that can be imagined".

The Conservatives, who have adopted a low-spin policy throughout the Kelly inquiry to contrast themselves against Labour, gave no comment.

Richard Butler, a former United Nations weapons inspector who worked with Dr Kelly in Iraq, said the remark was a severe insult to a man "who was wedded to the truth".