Disclosure contradicts Hoon's testimony

British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon was present at a key meeting in which the policy of naming David Kelly -- an issue at the heart of the Hutton inquiry -- was approved, it was revealed on Thursday.

The disclosure appears to contradict Hoon's evidence to the inquiry in which he made no mention of the meeting and insisted he was not involved in any discussions about the outing strategy.

The meeting actually took place in Hoon's office on July 9. He discussed with senior advisers what the Ministry of Defense should say if a journalist came up with Kelly's name. The group decided that it was untenable to refuse to respond to journalists who had guessed Kelly's identity.

In his evidence to the inquiry, Hoon said he was "not party to discussions" about the outing strategy. He said he was "not aware" that Kelly was "necessarily" concerned about his identity being kept secret.

Potentially more damaging in the light of Thursday's disclosure, Hoon said he "did not see" and "played no part" in the preparation of the briefing strategy by which the ministry confirmed Kelly's name to journalists. Nor did the defense secretary refer to the July 9 meeting in his office when asked at the end of his testimony to volunteer any information he thought relevant to the inquiry.

Thursday's disclosures came in evidence from Richard Taylor, Hoon's special adviser, who was called to the inquiry as a late witness. His testimony will have heightened the impression that Hoon failed to give the inquiry a full account of his involvement in the Kelly affair.

It makes it virtually certain that Hoon will be recalled to give a fuller account of his role when the inquiry enters its second phase on Sept. 15.

In his account of the July 9 meeting, Taylor said it was attended by Hoon, Peter Watkins, his principal private secretary, and the ministry's director of news, Pam Teare.

The group was presented with three options -- whether to deny Kelly's name when it was put to the ministry press office by journalists, simply make no comment, or to confirm the name.

"It was agreed that it would be not tenable to say `no' because that would be a lie," Taylor said.

Making no comment was also untenable, he said.

The strategy of naming Kelly was part of the government's continuing battle with the BBC over a report by the journalist Andrew Gilligan that Downing Street had "sexed up" the Iraqi weapons dossier against the wishes of the intelligence agencies.

Taylor said those at the meeting first agreed a plan for Hoon to name Kelly in a private letter to Gavyn Davies, the BBC chairman. That, Taylor said, was designed to "move the argument forward with the BBC."

The government wanted the BBC to confirm Kelly was Gilligan's source in the hope that once his name was made public the scientist would accuse the journalist of exaggerating what he had been told.