Hoon gets temporary reprieve

Friday, 12 September 2003 6:01 AM

The Conservative Party has called for Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon to "do the honourable thing" and resign following the publication of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) report on Iraq intelligence.

Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith described Mr Hoon's job as "hanging in the wind."

Mr Duncan Smith said the report was "damning."

"We have a Secretary of State for Defence accused of misleading them and withholding information from them. His position now is clearly untenable."

"We have a Secretary of State for Defence responsible for the lives of troops in Iraq. His career is hanging in the wind; an untenable position. He must either go or the Prime Minister should act today to dismiss him," he said.

Tory defence spokesman Bernard Jenkin told MPs: "How is [he] capable of conducting his department if he is so obviously being hung out to dry?"

Yesterday, Mr Hoon told MPs: "I appreciate the ISC were concerned about the initial approach of the MoD. I want to make quite clear I had no intention whatsoever of being other than open and straightforward with the committee and I regret any misunderstanding that might have arisen."

The committee found it "disturbing" that Mr Hoon had not informed them of all the concerns among defence intelligence staff with regard to the September dossier.

ISC committee chair Ann Taylor told journalists: "At no point in our document do we call for the resignation of Geoff Hoon."

The PM's former communications director Alastair Campbell was exonerated by MPs of "sexing up" the September dossier - a claim made by the BBC.

Critics of the Government have called a full judicial inquiry into the case for war against Iraq.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Mr Hoon had the full backing of the PM and Cabinet colleagues.

Last month, friends of Mr Hoon said he had accepted he would be made the Government's "fall guy" for the Dr David Kelly scandal.

Others such as Labour MP Fabian Hamilton said he would be the "sacrificial lamb" to get the PM and his aides off the hook.

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