GEOFF HOON was dealt a devastating blow yesterday when his closest adviser disclosed that the Defence Secretary had failed to tell the Hutton inquiry about his role in the strategy that led to the public exposure of David Kelly.

Mr Hoon held a key meeting in his office at which the media strategy was agreed, the inquiry into the Government scientist’s death heard yesterday.

Last week, the Defence Secretary denied having a direct hand in the naming process and insisted that he acted to protect Dr Kelly’s anonymity “at all stages”.

The disclosure came as Tony Blair avoided questions about his precise role in the discussions over the strategy, declaring: “Let the judge do the judging.”

Asked whether he expected to be recalled to be cross-examined before Lord Hutton, the Prime Minister said: “I will co-operate with the inquiry in any way at all.”

Mr Hoon, already facing criticism for “passing the buck” over a number of key decisions during his evidence last week, was further damaged by admissions from Richard Taylor, his special adviser at the Ministry of Defence.

Mr Taylor told Lord Hutton that he had attended a meeting with Mr Hoon, Peter Watkins, Mr Hoon’s principal private secretary, and Pam Teare, the MoD’s head of news, on the morning that Dr Kelly’s name became public.

The inquiry, which adjourned yesterday until September 15, has already heard that Dr Kelly’s acute sense of embarrassment and shame over being named contributed to the intense pressure on him in his final days.

Speaking of the unprecedented decision to confirm Dr Kelly’s name if it were put to the MoD press office by any journalist, Mr Taylor said: “We explicitly talked through that if a direct name was put, then it was agreed that it would be not tenable to say ‘no’, because that would be to lie.”

The Defence Secretary did not mention the meeting to Lord Hutton during his evidence and is now all but certain to be recalled during the inquiry’s second phase, when witnesses will face detailed cross-examination.

Mr Hoon said in his evidence that his press office’s naming strategy was “not something that I would normally deal with”.

He said that he played “no part” in the preparation of the question-and-answer document that included the naming strategy, and seemed to put the blame on his press office, saying: “I was obviously aware of the advice that I had received that if the right name was given to an MoD press officer they should confirm it.”

Meanwhile, Mr Blair, desperate to refocus on the domestic political agenda, tried to turn aside questions on the Hutton inquiry when he gave his monthly Downing Street press conference yesterday.

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