UK News 29-08-2003 Blair Takes Full Responsibility who: Tony Blair what: Says leaking of David Kelly`s name was his responsibility where: The High Court, LONDON when: Yesterday snippet: "Tony Blair staked his reputation yesterday on the outcome of Lord Hutton`s inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly," reports The Telegraph, "as he accepted full responsibility for the Government`s strategy of naming the weapons expert. In two hours and 20 minutes of evidence to the inquiry, the Prime Minister made clear that he had been intimately involved in devising Government strategy in the days after Dr Kelly admitted meeting Andrew Gilligan, the BBC reporter." "The responsibility is mine," said Mr Blair, "at the end of the day I took the decision as Prime Minister but I wanted to be able to say that we had played it by the book." Mr Blair admitted passing on details about Dr Kelly to the BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, but he asserted "hand on heart" his complete conviction that he had been right and blamed the BBC for damaging not only Downing Street but the credibility of British democracy. "The Prime Minister said he had nothing to apologise for, as he confirmed he was personally involved in the events which saw Dr Kelly handed over to a House of Commons committee for a televised questioning," says The Scotsman. "But he also insisted that he was not directly involved in the strategy to name Dr Kelly - and had no idea whether the weapons expert would back up the government or criticise its stance." "The Prime Minister knew about, and was satisfied with, the underhand treatment of Dr Kelly and the systematic attempt to destroy his reputation both before and after his death," says Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative leader, quoted in The Telegraph. "This is the most shameful act of this sorry saga." [... more]

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