Draft dossier reveals no Iraqi threat

The extent to which Downing St sought to convince a doubting British public of the need to go to war in Iraq was exposed before the Hutton inquiry yesterday.

Hitherto unpublished official papers disclosed at the inquiry into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly showed grave doubts at the highest level of government about its own case for supporting the invasion of Iraq.

Jonathan Powell, British Prime Minister Tony Blair's chief of staff, admitted a week before the publication of the Iraq weapons dossier that it did "nothing to demonstrate a threat, let alone an imminent threat from Saddam", the inquiry was told.

The Prime Minister had already authorised a "substantial rewrite" of the document, before Powell's complaint.

The latest in a series of highly damaging revelations came as the inquiry focused on the role of Downing St, not only in the circumstances of Kelly's death but in the wider issues surrounding the countdown to war.

With the credibility of Blair's Government increasingly at stake, Alastair Campbell, the Prime Minister's director of communications and strategy, took the witness stand overnight to answer questions on his role.

Campbell has vehemently denied the allegation that he "sexed up" last September's dossier, and Blair has declared this was the most serious charge that could be levelled against a government.

Campbell faced forensic questioning about the government's case for war in Iraq.

Campbell - the media chief whose influence on Blair extends far beyond message management - is at the centre of a vicious row with the BBC over a report that he "sexed up" weapons intelligence to justify an unpopular war in Iraq.

Arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, Campbell, 46 - an abrasive and confident operator known for his mastery of political spin - faced jeering from around 30 demonstrators waving banners protesting against the Iraq war.

"Spot the weapon of mass deception", said one banner picturing Blair.

Another read: "Eight thousand Iraqis dead, 55 British soldiers dead, Dr Kelly dead, Iraq in chaos - liberation?"

Yesterday the inquiry was shown an email from Campbell to Powell, dated September 5, 19 days before the dossier was published, disclosing that the document was being substantially rewritten.

It said: "Re dossier, substantial rewrite with JS and Julian M in charge, which JS will take to US next Friday, and be in shape Monday thereafter.

Structure as per TB's discussion.

Agreement that there has to be real intelligence material in their presentation." JS apparently referred to John Scarlett, the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, and Julian Miller was the chief of the assessment staff at the Cabinet Office.

But despite the "substantial rewrite" 12 days earlier, with the date of publication approaching, Powell reflected the alarm within No 10 that the intelligence services had failed to produce the smoking gun that would swing public opinion behind war.

The email to Scarlett, in charge of compiling the dossier, stated: "The dossier is good and convincing for those who are prepared to be convinced.

The document does nothing to demonstrate a threat, let alone an imminent threat from Saddam ...

We will need to make it clear in launching the document that we do not claim we have evidence that he is an imminent threat.

In other words, it shows he has the means, but it does not demonstrate that he has the motive to attack his neighbours, let alone the West." The email also sought further information on the Iraqi regime's alleged links with al Qaeda.

Efforts had been made to blank out a section that said: "The document says nothing about these, and TB will need ...

" The inquiry had been told that a draft dossier produced on September 5 did not contain the now notorious claim that Iraq would be able to launch a chemical and biological attack within 45 minutes.

But in the final version published on September 24, Blair declared in the foreword that Saddam Hussein would be "ready" to carry out the 45-minute threat.

Yesterday there was more discomfort for Downing St with the disclosure of acrimony in its festering feud with the BBC over reporter Andrew Gilligan's claim that the Government had inserted the "45-minute" threat into the dossier despite scepticism from the intelligence services.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman, Tom Kelly, had written in an email to Powell: "This is now a game of chicken with the Beeb.

The only way they will shift is if they see the screw tightening." Blair's spokesman, who referred to David Kelly, described by international experts as one of Britain's foremost authorities on biological weapons, as a Walter Mitty-type fantasist, will give his evidence today.

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, REUTERS

Hutton inquiry website

British Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee transcript:

Evidence of Dr David Kelly

Key players in the 'sexed-up dossier' affair

Herald Feature: Iraq