Kelly: Blair to escape blame
2004-01-25 17:29
London - Prime Minister Tony Blair has received no warning letter from the judge investigating the death of weapons adviser David Kelly suggesting he will escape serious criticism in the inquiry's final report, two newspapers said on Sunday.
Lord Hutton will publish the conclusions on Wednesday of his inquiry into the apparent suicide of Kelly.
The Sunday Telegraph and The Observer quoted unidentified Blair aides as saying the prime minister had not received a letter from Hutton warning him to expect criticism in the report.
The Sunday Telegraph said several other figures in the Kelly affair have received such notes, including Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, former Blair communications director Alastair Campbell and BBC executives.
Blair's office, the Ministry of Defence and the BBC all said they would not comment until the report is released.
Kelly was found dead in July, days after he was publicly identified as the source of a BBC report accusing the government of exaggerating intelligence on Iraq.
- SAPA