Hutton Inquiry hears of ‘significant differences’ between BBC reports

On the third day of the Hutton Inquiry, BBC journalist Susan Watts has said that there were "significant differences" between what Dr Kelly had said to her and what he was reported to have said to Today's Andrew Gilligan.

Susan Watts, BBC2 Newsnight Science Editor, returned to the witness stand today to answer questions from inquiry counsel James Dingemans QC.

Ms Watts said that the conversation she had with Dr Kelly on May 7 had been to gather background material on points of interest that she felt were newsworthy. However, she told the inquiry that there were “significant differences” between her account and Mr Gilligan's.

She said: “He [Dr Kelly] did not say to me that the dossier was transformed in the last week and he certainly did not say that the 45-minute claim was inserted either by Alastair Campbell or by anyone else in government.”

Ms Watts added that she had known Dr Kelly for two years and was able to discern the difference between “gossipy remarks and those based on his expertise and considered opinion”.

Ms Watts added: “He denied specifically that Alastair Campbell was involved in the conversation on May 30. He was very clear to me that the claim was in the original intelligence.”

She added that Dr Kelly could have been the source used by Mr Gilligan for the Today programme.

Ms Watts outlined three possible “speculative” scenarios, explaining why her broadcast had raised no problems, but she felt that the best possible explanation for this was because there were “significant differences” between those reports and those by Andrew Gilligan - despite the Newsnight items being “uncomfortable for the government”. Ms Watts also noted that she did not refer to her source as being a member of the intelligence services.

Ms Watts also said that she had been placed under “considerable pressure” to reveal her source to BBC executives - whom she thought were trying to corroborate Mr Gilligan's story in a manner that was “misguided and false”.

She said that following a discussion with the BBC’s head of news Richard Sambrook she had sought independent legal advice on the matter, as she felt that the purpose of the meeting was to corroborate the allegations made by Mr Gilligan and not for any “proper news purpose”.

Giving evidence to the inquiry today BBC Head of News Richard Sambrook said that anonymous sources were a vital part of the BBC’s news reporting, but that such sources would only be used if they were credible.

Mr Sambrook detailed the complaints made by Downing Street about the BBC’s reports.

Dr Kelly apparently committed suicide in July, days after telling a Foreign Affairs Select committee that he did not believe that he was the main source.

(SP)