Campbell denies 'sexing up' Iraq arms report

Communications chief admits 'dodgy dossier' was a mistake

Alistair Campbell, Downing Street's communications chief, today fiercely denied allegations that the Government had exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein by 'sexing up' the so–called 'dodgy dossier'.

Mr Campbell told a committee of MPs investigating Downing Street's propaganda strategy in the run–up to the war against Iraq: "It is – I don't use this word lightly – it is actually a lie."

But he acknowledged that the Government made a "mistake" in the way the dossier was compiled.

Mr Campbell, in a spirited performance, insisted he did not know that the dossier, which he had commissioned, contained information pulled from the internet until it was revealed in the media.

He conceded that an 'obviously regrettable' mistake had been made for which he took responsibility.

The Prime Minister's close adviser claimed to have in fact 'sexed down' parts of the paper and denied that he had failed to properly brief the Prime Minister on its contents.

Attempting to divert attention from his staff, Mr Campbell sought to play down the importance of the paper, published last February, stressing that it was simply a briefing document for six Sunday journalists. It was far less vital than the first dossier compiled by the Joint Intelligence Committee last September.

Donald Anderson, chairman of the MPs committee, repeatedly pressed Mr Campbell over whether he had apologised for the failure to attribute sections of the dossier to a PHd thesis written by a Californian student Ibrahim al–Marashi.

As the line of questioning broadened to Mr Blair's pre–war policy on Iraq, Mr Campbell rejected the suggestion that he and other unelected officials had influence on the Prime Minister than Cabinet Ministers.

Mr Campbell, appearing before the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, told MPs that during the process of drafting the document, there had been a failure to properly attribute research work by Dr al–Marashi.

The material was used by the Communications and Information Centre, a cross–Government team reporting to Mr Campbell.

"The CIC asked around the system if you like, the Foreign Office, MoD (Ministry of Defence), other Government departments that may have an interest in this area for any papers they may have on this, information they might have on this in their research departments.

"During that process ... the Foreign Office research department sent this journal from September 2002 by Dr al–Marashi.

"That then went to the CIC. At that point, within the CIC, work from that paper was taken and absorbed into the draft that was being prepared within the CIC. That was a mistake, without attribution."

Asked if he regretted publishing the dossier, Mr Campbell said a document setting out "the scale of Saddam Hussein's apparatus of concealment and intimidation against the UN was a good thing to do".

"It should not have happened in the way it did," he told the Committee.

"The reality is, had it not happened like that, it would have been a perfectly good thing to do but it did happen like that."

Mr Campbell added: "It has obviously been regrettable."

Tory Committee member Sir John Stanley was unimpressed.

"Mr Campbell, I have to say I found some of the answers you gave to the chairman less than credible," he said.

On the September 2002 dossier and the now notorious 45–minute claim, Mr Campbell rejected the suggestion that he tried to "sex up" the document to increase its impact.

Mr Campbell told the committee: "What is completely and totally and 100% untrue is that, and this is the BBC claim which is ostensibly I think why the chairman called me on this, that is completely and totally untrue that I in any way over–rode that judgment, sought to exaggerate that intelligence, sought to use it in any way that the intelligence agencies weren't 100% content with."

Mr Campbell said: "In one area – and I know the accusation is that I sexed it up, I think this is actually sexing it down – in the passage on human rights, for example, there were some very graphic descriptions of the nature of the regime which the draft described as vivid and horrifying.

Mr Campbell was asked about the claim in the September document that African uranium had been sold to Iraq.

Asked whether he still maintained that was true – despite the International Atomic Energy Authority dismissing the claims as based on forged documentation – Mr Campbell said: "That is the intelligence that the JIC put forward.

"My position on this is that if something comes across my desk that is from John Scarlett and the JIC, then if it is good enough for him, it is good enough for me.

Mr Campbell denied the uncorroborated 45–minute claim had been put in the dossier at his suggestion.

"It existed in the very first draft and, as far as I am aware, that part of the paper stayed like that," he said.

And Mr Campbell demanded an apology from BBC chiefs he claimed were defending a "very, very serious" allegation they knew to be untrue.

"It has been denied by the Prime Minister, it has been denied by the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, it has been denied by the Security and Intelligence Co–ordinator, it has been denied by the heads of the intelligence agencies involved.

"And yet the BBC continue to stand by that story."

Mr Campbell continued: "I know we are right in relation to that 45–minute point. It is completely and totally untrue.

"It is – I don't use this word lightly – it is actually a lie."