Ex-spy chief emerges into inquiry's glare

John Scarlett, the head of the Joint Intelligence Committee, will be questioned today over his role in the David Kelly affair when he steps out of the shadows of a career in the anonymity of the intelligence services.

That the chairman of the JIC, a career MI6 officer, is subject to such public scrutiny at the Hutton inquiry is in itself remarkable, but he is only the opening act of the drama's third week. Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, who many believe will take the blame over Dr Kelly's death, will give evidence tomorrow on his role in the naming of the civil servant. He will be followed on Thursday by Tony Blair, the first time a prime minister has given evidence in public to such an inquiry; Mr Blair will be closely questioned on his role in the affair and changes made to the September dossier on Iraq.

Both men are used to the spotlight, whereas Mr Scarlett is a man for whom anonymity has been a way of life. He had been with MI6 for more than 30 years, rising to become one of its five directors, beforebeing made head of the JIC last year when he was publicly named and photographed for the first time. Two public photographs of Mr Scarlett exist ­ the official Whitehall mugshot and a snatched airport photograph.

Mr Scarlett is the first head of the JIC, which filters and analyses raw intelligence from bodies such as MI5 and GCHQ for the Cabinet, to be appointed from within the intelligence community. He joined MI6 in 1971, straight from Oxford, and had spells in Nairobi and Paris. During two postings in Moscow he rose to become station chief. He is credited with organising the escape of Oleg Gordievsky, the service's agent inside the KGB, when his life was at risk.

Mr Scarlett will face tough questioning, comparing his claim to want "total ownership" of the September dossier with the repeated e-mails from Downing Street commenting on its tone and language. He will also be asked about his suggestion that Dr Kelly be given a "proper, security-style interview" over his contacts with the BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan and whether this contributed to Dr Kelly's state of mind.

Intriguingly, Alastair Campbell, who maintains he had no influence on the dossier's contents, has described Mr Scarlett as a friend. Whether this amounts to a sufficient guarantee for Mr Scarlett's suspected ambition to becomehead of MI6 remains to be seen.

Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme yesterday Mr Blair and Mr Hoon had serious questions to answer. "When [Mr Blair] wrote the foreword suggesting the threat was current and serious, was he aware of Jonathan Powell's [No 10 chief of staff]reservations the information did not justify the conclusion? ... How much did they know about the strategy to put Dr Kelly's name before the public?"