Richard Hatfield: Kelly 'did not need to consent to be named'

A senior Ministry of Defence official said yesterday Dr David Kelly had "no veto" over his name being released to the press and that his consent was not needed.

Richard Hatfield, personnel director of the MoD, said he had explained to Dr Kelly that his identity might be revealed "in stages" after a press statement was issued referring to him anonymously.

Mr Hatfield admitted to the Hutton inquiry that Dr Kelly had never been told he would be consulted before his name was confirmed to the media. Mr Hatfield also accepted that he did not follow an instruction from Sir Kevin Tebbit, the MoD's permanent secretary, that he should assess "Kelly's readiness to be associated with a public statement that names him".

Mr Hatfield said: "The honest answer is that I did not focus on the precise wording of that paragraph ... I very clearly explained that Dr Kelly should be clear at some stage he would need to be publicly associated with his actions and stand by it. I did not read it as asking me to clear an early statement which named him. I did not, of course, do so."

Mr Hatfield interviewed Dr Kelly twice, on 4 July and 7 July, after he came forward to admit he had met Andrew Gilligan. The scientist's widow has accused the MoD of "betrayal" by naming him despite assuring him he would not be identified.

During examination by the MoD's counsel, David Lloyd Jones QC, Mr Hatfield conceded he had not at any stage asked for Dr Kelly's consent for his name to be made public. "In the circumstances I was envisaging, in which the MoD might make it public, I did not and do not believe that I required his consent," he said.

Mr Hatfield said that in the case of a credible approach from the media, or in putting Dr Kelly forward for the Foreign Affairs Committee, there was no way that the MoD could fail to reveal his name. "[There was] certainly no reason to give him a veto," he said.

Mr Hatfield said he went through the statement "paragraph by paragraph" at about 4pm on 8 July, adding: "I got his explicit consent to it." Dr Kelly made no suggestions or comments, he told the inquiry.

He said he might have suggested that his identity could be released in stages, with him initially being referred to by a description.

Mr Lloyd Jones asked if the issue of Dr Kelly's pension was ever raised, or if it was ever at any risk. Mr Hatfield replied: "Never, none whatsoever." Dr Kelly's security clearance was also in no way affected, he said.

Mr Hatfield said the fact that Dr Kelly was being encouraged to go to Iraq confirmed that security clearance was never an issue.

Paul Waugh