Hoon under fire following secret report ‘leak’

A leaked parliamentary report to the Evening Standard appears to allege that a select committee was misled on the issue of invading Iraq.

At Prime Minister’s question time today, Conservative leader Ian Duncan Smith challenged Mr Blair to say if the leaked report was true and if it was would Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon be dismissed or left “twisting in the wind”.

Mr Blair, however, said he was not about to comment on a report that was to be presented to him tomorrow and had not yet been published. Mr Blair said: “If he [Duncan Smith] actually has evidence that somebody from Downing Street has put this report into the newspapers perhaps he would produce it.”

Paying tribute to Mr Hoon, the Prime Minister said that British forces under the leadership of the Defence Secretary had won a “magnificent victory” in Iraq.

Mr Ian Duncan Smith said Downing Street officials were “already briefing on it” as he spoke and called for it to be published immediately.

Downing Street categorically denied that the report was leaked by No. 10, although the Prime Minister’s office is one of the only government departments known to see Intelligence Select Committee reports prior to their publication.

The committee of MPs is appointed by the Prime Minister reports directly to Mr Blair.

While, a government statement on the report is expected tomorrow following publication of the document it is thought that one aspect of the Evening Standard story is now known to be incorrect.

(SP)