July 8
At 5.55pm the
government issues a statement saying a Ministry of Defence official has
come forward and admitted meeting BBC defence correspondent Andrew
Gilligan on May 22. The official said he met Gilligan, whom he had known
for "some months", at a central London hotel, and that he had been asked
about weapons of mass destruction and Alastair Campbell.
"He says that when Mr Gilligan asked about the role of Alastair
Campbell with regard to the 45 minute issue, he made no comment and
explained that he was not involved in the process of drawing up the
intelligence parts of the dossier," the statement said.
"He made no other comment about Mr Campbell. When Mr Gilligan asked him
why the 45 minute point was in the dossier, he says he commented that it
was 'probably for impact'. He says he did not see the 45 minute
intelligence report on which it was based."
The government says the official is not one of the senior officials
involved in drawing up the September dossier, but an expert who has
advised ministers on weapons of mass destruction.
The BBC responds, saying the description issued by the government does
not match Gilligan's source in important ways - "Mr Gilligan's source does
not work in the Ministry of Defence and he has known the source for a
number of years, not months," the BBC says in a statement.
July 9
Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary, writes to BBC
chairman Gavyn Davies asking him to confirm or deny whether Dr David
Kelly, a renowned microbiologist and advisor to the Ministry of Defence,
was the original source of Gilligan's story. The BBC steadfastly refuses
to reveal any information about its source, saying it will not be drawn
into a trap.
Tony Blair's spokesman says the approach is "not an assault on
journalistic sources, this is not an assault on the BBC, it is not a
vendetta". He insists it is a "genuine attempt to get at the truth behind
what is one of the most serious allegations you can make against a
government".
The BBC responds by saying the story has descended into farce. "The MoD
has lost all credibility on this issue. It completely changed its story
overnight for spurious reasons, and we intend to draw a line under the
matter. We are not going to discuss our source," the corporation says in a
statement.
The MoD issues a statement saying it has named the official who has
come forward in a letter to the BBC, but not naming the source. However,
by the end of the day some lobby journalists have mysteriously learnt of
his identity.
When the Times political reporting team contacts the MoD and put Dr
Kelly's name to the department, his name is confirmed. By 11.40pm he has
been named as Gilligan's source on the Press Association newswire.
Downing Street categorically denies being the source of the leak. In
its report on July 10, the Times says Downing Street is "99% convinced"
that Dr Kelly is Gilligan's source.
July 15
Dr Kelly is called to give evidence before the
foreign affairs select committee. Asked by MPs whether he thinks he is the
main source for Gilligan's story he says: "No." He admits meeting Gilligan
on three occasions since September 2002, including a meeting on May 22 at
the Charing Cross hotel in central London.
Dr Kelly says that while certain aspects of Gilligan's report tallied
with their conversation, his account of Campbell's intervention in the
September dossier was not "a factual record of my interaction with him".
"From the conversations I had with him, I don't know how he could have had
the authority to make the statements he is making," Dr Kelly told the
committee.
He also admits meeting with Newsnight science correspondent Susan Watts
after a talk he had given on November 5 last year, and to speaking to her
in several telephone conversations subsequently.
MPs on the committee back Dr Kelly's denial, issuing a statement saying
he was "most unlikely" to have been the source behind the "sexed up"
dossier claim and criticising the government's treatment of him. The
committee says Dr Kelly has been "poorly treated" by the defence minister,
and Labour member Andrew Mackinlay says he had been used as a "fall guy".
Donald Anderson, the chairman of the committee, writes to foreign
secretary Jack Straw demanding an apology for the way Dr Kelly was
treated.
July 16
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith calls on Tony Blair to
apologise for the treatment of Dr Kelly. Speaking at prime minister's
questions, Mr Blair refuses to apologise and once again calls on the BBC
to name Gilligan's source.
"The Ministry of Defence made it clear that of course they don't know
who the source is. There's only one body that does - the BBC. All they
have to do is say yes or no - why don't they?" asks the prime minister.
July 17
At 3pm Dr Kelly leaves his home at Southmoor, near
Abingdon in Oxfordshire, telling his wife he is going for a walk. Although
he is accustomed to walking for several hours at a time in the footpaths
near his home, he is dressed inappropriately for the wet weather, wearing
only a shirt and not taking a coat with him. When he fails to return home
by 11.45pm, his family contacts the police.
July 18
Dr Kelly is reported missing by Thames Valley Police.
Around 9.20am, police find the body of a male at Harrowdown Hill near to
Dr Kelly's home. There are no other reported missing persons in the area,
and Dr Kelly is known to have enjoyed walking near the hill, about 45
minutes to an hour from his home.
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