26Jan04-Jason Beattie-UK and US 'may have been wrong on WMDs'
JASON BEATTIE
CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
Key points
• Former defence minister says UK and US may have to admit they were wrong about Iraq's WMDs
• PM also facing pressure on tuition fees with potential rebellion on Tuesday
• Ministers lined up to back Mr Blair's plans in the media
• Hutton report into the death of Dr David Kelly is published on Wednesday
Key quote: "Sooner or later we may well have to say ‘yep, the intelligence was faulty and the decisions we took were based on the best evidence available and the best evidence available wasn’t good enough" Dr Lewis Moonie, former defence minister
Story in full: FRESH controversy over the existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction yesterday overshadowed Downing Street’s attempts to bolster Tony Blair’s reputation ahead of the most testing week of his political career.
Dr Lewis Moonie, a former defence minister, said the time was approaching when Britain and America should admit they were wrong about Saddam Hussein’s chemical and biological programmes.
The comments could not have come at a worse time for Mr Blair as he seeks to persuade sceptical Labour MPs to back his controversial policy on top-up fees, and braces himself for possible censure in Lord Hutton’s report on the death of Dr David Kelly.
With whips warning Mr Blair that he could still lose tomorrow’s vote on plans to introduce variable course fees in England, No 10 organised for a string of senior ministers, including Gordon Brown, to tour the television and radio studios to sell the policy. Mr Brown urged Labour MPs "give full support" to what he described as a "sensible, radical reform".
But attempts to turn the issue into an unofficial vote of confidence in Mr Blair’s leadership were knocked off kilter by the row over Iraqi WMD.
Dr Moonie, the MP for Kirkcaldy who was sacked from his post in June, told Scottish Television’s Seven Days programme that the intelligence relied upon in the run-up to the Iraq war may have been deficient.
'I can only tell you I believed the intelligence we had at the time'
"If it’s the case that the intelligence that we had was deficient as is increasingly looking likely ... sooner or later we may well have to say ‘yep, the intelligence was faulty and the decisions we took were based on the best evidence available and the best evidence available wasn’t good enough’."
Lord Hutton’s report is expected to address directly the issue of whether No 10 doctored intelligence material in order to exaggerate the threat posed by Saddam and his WMD missiles.
Many Labour backbenchers planning to rebel tomorrow night remain deeply unhappy with Mr Blair because of his decision to follow unequivocally American policy on Iraq.
Last night the whips indicated that at least 85 dissident backbenchers were still planning to vote against the government - more than enough to overthrow Mr Blair’s 161 majority. The vote is so tight that few in Downing Street expect the government’s majority to reach double figures.
"We still haven’t got the number [for a majority] but we are working on it," said a senior government source. In an 11th-hour concession to win over the doubters, Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, promised an amendment capping fees at £3,000 a year until 2009.
If the government loses, Mr Blair would almost certainly face a vote of confidence on the day when the Conservatives will be demanding resignations over the Hutton Inquiry.
In a sign of the panic within Downing Street, it emerged Mr Blair has summoned Alastair Campbell back to No 10 to mastermind the government’s response to the Hutton report.
With his reputation for integrity at stake, the Prime Minister insisted in an interview for the Observer that the intelligence reports on Iraqi WMD were correct.
"I can only tell you I believed the intelligence we had at the time … I believe the intelligence was correct, and I think in the end we will have an explanation. The issue vis-a-vis my integrity is did we receive the intelligence and was it properly relayed to people? And obviously I believe that we did," he said.
Asked if weapons would be found, he said: "Well that is something that the Iraq Survey Group is going to have to find. All I can say is that prior to the conflict, during the conflict, immediately after the conflict, we were having meetings, discussions, taking precautions precisely on that basis." Previously Mr Blair had insisted that WMD would be found.
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