Ex-BBC chief revives row over Iraq weapons

The row over the death of weapons expert David Kelly reignited today after ex-BBC chairman Gavyn Davies accused Downing Street of a "witchhunt" against the corporation.

Mr Davies, who was forced to quit over the affair earlier this year, charged the Government with trying to "expose and discredit" Dr Kelly.

And he said the evidence to Lord Hutton's inquiry suggested "much of the gist of " the Radio 4 report that triggered the controversy had been correct.

Andrew Gilligan, the Today programme's defence correspondent, cited Dr Kelly as the source of his story that Downing Street had sought to " sex up" its dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Mr Davies's remarks were made as he accepted an honorary doctorate from Middlesex University business school. In

his strongest comments on the affair since resigning in January, he said yesterday that the Government put "intolerable pressure" on the BBC over the Gilligan story.

But he said he had been "proud" to stand up to No10, even though it meant he was forced to quit along with BBC director-general Greg Dyke.

In a clear attack on Tony Blair's former spin chief Alastair Campbell, he said Downing Street had waged a campaign against the corporation "in a remorseless and aggressive manner with scant regard for the freedom of the press or the independence of the BBC".

While they may have thought that they had "a legitimate grievance", he said, "from where I sat, their methods of seeking redress for that grievance looked more like a witch-hunt." Mr Davies was also critical of how the Governmenthandled Dr Kelly once his name first emerged as a possible source of the Gilligan story.

"The Government discovered David Kelly was the source of the story and instantly decided to expose him and discredit him simultaneously," he said.

He described the BBC governors' defiant rejection of the complaints from Mr Campbell and No10 a "historic decision". "They reasserted the right of the BBC to report British and international politics without let or hindrance from Downing Street," he said.

Mr Davies's outburst will infuriate No10, as it believed that the Kelly controversy had been put to rest by Lord Hutton's report in January.

His remarks came as it emerged the BBC is bracing itself for new budget cuts ahead of a review of its charter, with reports today that it may sell off part of its BBC Worldwide commercial arm and break up or outsource channels such as BBC America and BBC Prime.