‘Who killed David Kelly?” To the uninitiated looking for a thrill this silly season, the answer is clear. In the Mirror and the Mail, high-pitched voices from left and right say that at the very least his death was covered up by Tony Blair, a man they loathe so fervently they cannot even praise him for donating the proceeds of his autobiography to a veterans’ charity. From the demented centre-ground of British politics comes Norman Baker, a Liberal Democrat MP, who by some extraordinary oversight is now a government minister. He has produced a book claiming Kelly was murdered by mysterious Iraqi forces.
To those who followed the affair in 2003, however, there ought to be no mystery. The reason for Kelly’s death is a secret in plain view, which few can acknowledge because it chills the warm feelings of self-righteousness which Tony Blair’s enemies enjoy.
Kelly was the BBC’s source. The BBC betrayed him.
Allow me to drag up this ancient history because the reaction to it sheds light on the hysteria around Blair’s autobiography, which is only going to get worse in the run-up to its publication.
Nick Cohen
