Defence Secretary Hoon 'misled' Iraqi weapons inquiry'

By PAUL WAUGH and KIM SENGUPTA

British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon's slim chance of avoiding dismissal all but disappeared yesterday after it was alleged that he had given MPs "misleading" evidence about the Government's intelligence on Iraq.

The Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee is today expected to criticise the Defence Secretary for his testimony about dissent among intelligence officials about the dossier last September.

In their long-awaited report into the use of intelligence on Iraq, the MPs will describe Mr Hoon's evidence as "unhelpful" and "misleading", a leak suggested yesterday.

But Tony Blair will also face embarrassment when the committee concludes that two key claims about the Iraqi threat should not have been included in the September dossier.

The Independent understands that the ISC will conclude that both the claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons at 45-minute standby and that he had sought uranium from Africa should never have been used.

The 45-minute claim, which formed the centrepiece of BBC allegations about the "sexing up" of the dossier, was based on raw intelligence but the assessment of it was "confused", the MPs found.

The claim about seeking uranium from Niger for a nuclear programme should also not have been used because the CIA had already warned Britain it was not "credible".

Mr Hoon is already under pressure for his role in the naming of the late Dr David Kelly, but his political future looked shakier than ever after the partial leaking of the ISC report.

Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, used the leaked report to launch a bitter attack on Mr Blair at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday, the pair's first House of Commons clash since Dr Kelly died. Mr Duncan Smith demanded that Mr Hoon should be sacked for misleading Parliament but insisted that responsibility for the affair should rest right at the top of Government.

"Isn't this leaked report another nail in the coffin of this Government? You can get rid of (Alastair) Campbell. You can even get rid of the Defence Secretary. But the lying and the spinning won't stop until we get rid of you!" he said.

Mr Blair replied: "I would simply say that in relation to either that report or the Hutton inquiry, rather than deciding what it says before it is published, let's wait and see and not make up our minds beforehand."

The Prime Minister also praised Mr Hoon for his performance during the war against Baghdad. Government sources made clear that any decision about Mr Hoon would have to wait until after Lord Hutton completed his report, expected in late October.

The Hutton Inquiry has heard extensive testimony that members of Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) within the Ministry of Defence expressed concern about the Iraq dossier's misuse of intelligence. The Evening Stardard newspaper, which received the leaked report, suggested that Mr Hoon had flatly denied that there had been any such concerns expressed.

However, the Prime Minister's official spokesman stressed that the media should treat the leak "with caution" and said a leak inquiry was being discussed with the committee.

Whitehall sources said that Mr Hoon had actually volunteered the fact that that dissent had existed in the DIS and that the "misleading" quote did not refer to the Defence Secretary specifically.

Other Westminister sources claimed that Mr Hoon had seen the ISC twice. He first appeared in mid-July when he dodged the issue of dissent. Only after the Hutton Inquiry heard about the DIS concerns did he reappear before the MPs to give a clearer picture.

The ISC will clear Alastair Campbell, of the charge of "sexing up" the dossier, and state that the document was produced within established guidelines. The ISC's focus on the failure of assessment rather than raw intelligence puts the spotlight on Mr Scarlett and the JIC whose job it was to carry out that task.

According to security sources Sir Richard Dearlove, the head of MI6, stressed to the MPs that the job of MI6 was to simply pass on the intelligence to the JIC. Sir Richard is also said, however, to have stood firmly behind the '45 minutes' claim.

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Herald Feature: Iraq