THE BBC provoked new criticism over Iraq yesterday when the Today programme on Radio 4 agreed not to broadcast questions put to the Archbishop of Canterbury about the morality of the war.

Dr Rowan Williams agreed to a pre-recorded interview at 7am on the issue of gay priests. At the end of the interview John Humphrys, the presenter, went on to ask the Archbishop his views about the Iraq war. Despite Dr Williams’s answers being described as uncontroversial, Jonathan Jennings, his press secretary, complained that the Archbishop had not been warned that Iraq would also be a topic.

The programme’s editor, Kevin Marsh, cut the answers relating to Iraq, but listeners found out what had gone on because of a scripting error in which Mr Humphrys trailed the interview. The presenter was not informed in time that the Iraq material had been cut and was said to be furious about what had happened.

The BBC tried yesterday to play down any connection with the Hutton inquiry.

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