Andrew
Gilligan, the BBC journalist at the heart of the Iraq dossier affair, will
be feeling "worried, frightened and pretty sickened" by the news that his
alleged source, David Kelly, may have taken his own life, according to his
former boss at the Today programme.
Former Today editor Rod Liddle, who hired Gilligan from the Sunday
Telegraph three years ago, told Sky News that if Dr Kelly was dead,
serious questions would need to be asked about the involvement of No 10
and the prime minister's communications director, Alastair Campbell, in
the hunt for Gilligan's source.
"I would've thought Andrew was worried, frightened and pretty sickened
by what's happened. These are fairly terrifying developments. We want to
know what sort of pressure Dr Kelly has been put under by the government,
or by anybody else - but particularly by the government," Liddle said.
"We need to find out what No 10 and Alastair Campbell's involvement was
in attempts to track down Mr Gilligan's source," he added.
"Quite clearly there was a concerted effort to root out whoever had the
temerity to speak to a journalist, supposedly out of turn. I'd also be
interested to find out who decided in the end, or what pressure was put on
the [foreign affairs] select committee, to call back both Andrew Gilligan
and Dr Kelly for another cross examination."
Liddle said he "didn't see how" Dr Kelly's disappearance could be
blamed on journalism, as the Ministry of Defence scientist's close friend,
veteran TV reporter Tom Mangold, has claimed.
"I don't see what Gilligan or the BBC could've done that was different.
Here was a senior member of the security services who told Andrew
Gilligan, on a matter of the most extraordinary public interest, that the
government had sexed up the dossier on Iraq. That was absolutely right to
report," he added.
· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or
phone 020 7239 9857
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