Lies being Taught;
Governments are not involved in murders or
their Cover-up.
Now the truth;
The politicians and officials at the heart of
the David Kelly scandal have been showered with honors, promotions or lucrative
retirement jobs in the three years since the scientist's death. While the Kelly
family continue to mourn quietly in private, the men and
women who share the blame for his demise have prospered.
In 2006, an investigation charts the upward
career paths of figures central to the inquiry who were called to give evidence
or played a major part from behind the scenes.The senior officials accused of covering up
No10's manipulation of the intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction
have gone on to be rewarded with some of the most glamorous jobs in the public
sector.Meanwhile, the Labour chairmen of the Commons
committees that failed to probe the bogus Government dossiers on Saddam Hussein
have been placed in the House of Lords.
And Alastair Campbell, the spin doctor whom
critics accuse of tampering with intelligence and whipping up the hysteria that
led to the scientist's alleged suicide, now stands to make an estimated £1
million from his memoirs.
Even junior and middle-ranking officials who
were caught up in the political tornado have been recognised by the honours
system and given significant promotions.
The research was carried out by Liberal
Democrat MP Norman Baker, who probed the circumstances surrounding the
death of Dr Kelly in July 2003.
Mr Baker said: "Nobody in Government
came out of this episode with any credit or integrity. Yet, three years after
the Hutton Inquiry, the principal players in the drama of the death of David
Kelly - those who backed the Government or cravenly caved in to No10's demands
- have prospered handsomely."
Meanwhile, the men who stood up to the
Establishment have not fared so well.
In 2003, Kevin Marsh was the editor of Radio
4's Today Programme and defended his reporter Andrew Gilligan's right to report
that Campbell had "sexed up" the WMD dossier. Now he is stuck in a
relative backwater as head of the BBC's journalist training school.
Greg Dyke, then BBC director general, was
forced to quit following the Hutton Report and has struggled to find a new
role.
And what of Lord Hutton? The ex-Law Lord,
accused of colluding in an Establishment whitewash, has slipped back into
obscure retirement in his native Northern Ireland and has started living in a secluded life.
The Air Marshal
Sir Joe French, 57, was Chief of Defence
Intelligence.
Salary: up to £95,000.
Role: Testified before Hutton, defending the
notorious - now disproved - claim that Saddam's weapons could be launched
within 45 minutes.
Now: Promoted this year to Commander-in-Chief
of RAF Strike Command on £154,000 a year.
The MP
Ann Taylor, 59, Labour MP, was chairwoman of
Parliament's Intelligence Committee.
Salary: £56,000.
Role: She headed the committee that published
a report which exonerated Downing Street over allegations of manipulating the
Iraq intelligence.
Now: Ennobled as Baroness Taylor of Bolton.
In her first year in the Lords she claimed more than £30,000 in tax-free
"subsistence allowances".
The Select Committee Chairman
Donald Anderson, 67, was Labour chairman of
the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
Salary: £56,000.
Role: Caved in to Government request not to
ask David Kelly awkward questions about Iraq's WMD. Kelly was found dead two
days after he appeared before Anderson's committee.
Now: Elevated to Lords as Baron Anderson of
Swansea. Claimed £25,000 last year in tax-free attendance allowances in return
for attending Lords on a total of 94 days.
The Defence Secretary
Geoff Hoon, 53, was Defence Secretary.
Salary: £129,000.
Role: Accused of neglecting his duty of care
towards MoD employee David Kelly by sanctioning the release of his name to the
media. Hoon admitted he could have done more to help the scientist.
Now: Demoted to Europe Minister on £99,000
but considered lucky to keep his Government job. Insiders claim Blair decided
against sacking him because of the Iraq secrets he could spill.
The PM's mouthpiece
Godric Smith, 41, was one of the Prime
Minister's two Official Spokesmen.
Salary: £80,000.
Role: Announced Kelly's death to reporters on
the PM's plane as it arrived in Tokyo - responsible for many subsequent
briefings.
Now: Honoured with CBE. Sports-mad Smith
landed dream job as chief spin doctor for the 2012 London Olympics. Paid
£120,000 a year.
The spin doctor
Alastair Campbell, 49, was Blair's Director
of Communications and Strategy.
Salary: £130,000.
Role: Allegedly masterminded the "sexing
up" of the official report on Iraq's WMD, author of the second so-called
"dodgy dossier", and was the man behind the strategy that led to the
public naming of David Kelly.
Now: Quit No10 but new work more lucrative.
Charged Labour £40,000 plus VAT for a few weeks as a consultant during 2005
Election. Sports writer for Rupert Murdoch's Times newspaper. Stands to make £1
million for his memoirs.
The PM's other spokesman
Tom Kelly, 51, was the Prime Minister's
Official Spokesman (joint post).
Salary: £80,000.
Role: Briefed reporters that David Kelly was
"Walter Mitty" character.
Now: Promoted to chief spokesman on £100,000.
The Whitehall intelligence chief
Sir John Scarlett, 58, was chairman of
Whitehall's Joint Intelligence Committee.
Salary: £130,000.
Role: Accused of acting as "human
shield" for Alastair Campbell. Scarlett insisted he had "overall
charge and responsibility" of the Iraq intelligence report - No 10 had not
meddled.
Now: Promoted in 2005 to the most glamorous
job in British intelligence: Chief of MI6. Known as "C". Salary up to
£200,000.
The deputy intelligence chief
Martin Howard, 52, was Deputy Chief of
Defence Intelligence.
Salary: £90,000.
Role: Insisted Downing Street had no
knowledge that 45-minute claim was wrong.
Now: Still at MoD as Director General of
Operational Policy on a salary of £100,000.
The Chief of Staff
Julian Miller, 51, was Chief of the
Intelligence Assessment Staff, Cabinet Office.
Salary: £80,000.
Role: Defended Alastair Campbell, suggested
David Kelly was too junior to have had access to crucial intelligence.
Now: Made Companion of the Order of the Bath.
Director-General of Resources and Plans in the MoD on £100,000.
The Inquiry Secretary
Lee Hughes, late 40s, was Secretary to the
Hutton Inquiry.
Salary: £50,000.
Role: Managed day-to-day logistics of the
hearing.
Now: Made CBE. Promoted to senior role in
Department of Constitutional Affairs, on £60,000.
The MoD Press Officer
Kate Wilson, late 30s, was chief Press
officer at MoD.
Salary: £50,000.
Role: Responsible for strategy that led to
Kelly's "outing". Journalists were told in advance that if they gave
the correct name, the MoD would confirm it.
Now: Honoured with an OBE "in
recognition of gallant and distinguished services in connection with operations
in Iraq". Still chief Press officer at MoD. Salary around £60,000.
The PM's top foreign adviser
Sir David Manning, 57, was Tony Blair's chief
foreign policy adviser.
Salary: £120,000.
Role: Present at all Downing Street sofa
summits leading up to the war.
Now: Promoted to Washington Ambassador, the
most sought-after job in the diplomatic service. The post comes with armoured
Rolls-Royce and sprawling residence. Basic salary £130,000 plus tax-free
allowances of £90,000.
The top civil servant
Sir Kevin Tebbit, 60, was Permanent Under
Secretary of State at MoD.
Salary: up to £264,250.
Role: Sir Kevin admitted
"responsibility" but not "culpability" for Kelly's death.
Now: Enjoying comfortable semi-retirement as
non-executive director of the Smiths Aerospace group on £60,000 a year and is
also a visiting professor at Queen Mary College, London.
The MI6 supremo
Sir Richard Dearlove, 61, was Chief of the
Secret Intelligence Service - MI6.
Salary: up to £200,000.
Role: Insisted to Hutton he was not aware of
any unhappiness within the intelligence community over the 45-minute claim.
Now: Living in genteel retirement as Master
of Pembroke College, Cambridge, on Civil Service pension of up to £100,000.
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