Tom Kelly was giving 'Government's perspective'

Although Tom Kelly admitted he had blundered by labelling David Kelly a "Walter Mitty-style fantasist", he insisted at the Hutton inquiry yesterday that he was reflecting possible issues for the inquiry from "the Government's perspective".

Earlier this month, Mr Kelly, one of Tony Blair's two official spokesmen, was forced to apologise after The Independent reported the comments about the weapons expert. He said his conversation with the journalist was to provide background information and he did not expect his thoughts to be made public. However The Independent insisted last night that at no stage did Mr Kelly indicate that his words were not for publication.

Mr Kelly said: "I wanted simply the journalist to be aware of the possible questions and issues from the Government's perspective. I wasn't expecting what I said to be repeated in any way.

"It was a mistake to have been sucked into that conversation or drawn into that conversation. I accept it was a mistake to have this kind of conversation in that climate."

Mr Kelly was also thrown on to the defensive over an e-mail he sent to Jonathan Powell, the Downing Street chief of staff, in which he said: "This is now a game of 'chicken' with the Beeb. The only way they will shift is if they see the screw tightening."

Mr Kelly said his language looked different "out of context" and displayed on a screen. He said he was using the language he would to a close colleague and was making the point that No 10 should concentrate on highlighting the differences between Dr Kelly's testimony and allegations broadcast by the BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan. He added: "I could not see a way of resolving this issue in a private, quiet way. It was going to have to be through a public debate. I did not mean I regarded it as a game."

Mr Kelly, who joined the Civil Service after 16 years with the BBC in Belfast and London, was asked what his role was in drawing up the dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

He replied: "I was very clear in my view that I was being asked to act as a sounding board, rather than someone who was going to be subsequently contributing to the dossier. I never saw myself ... as being part of the essential team drawing up the dossier."

James Dingemans QC, counsel for the inquiry, said the intelligence services traditionally used "measured and cautious" language but the September dossier was not couched in such terms. He asked whether Mr Kelly had played a part in stepping up the language used in the final version. The spokesman replied: "That was certainly not my aim. I do not believe that was the effect. I was trying to act as a fresh reader."

On the subject of the press statement announcing that Mr Gilligan's suspected source had come forward, Mr Kelly said he had had very little involvement in its wording.