UK: HUTTON INQUIRY

Independent: Demands grow for inquiry into the case for war as Hutton is accused of a 'whitewash'

The BBC chairman Gavyn Davies became the first casualty of the inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly as Lord Hutton was accused last night of presiding over a "whitewash".

Tony Blair, his former director of communications Alastair Campbell and the Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon were all cleared of any improper behaviour leading up to the suicide of the weapons expert, bringing barely disguised relief in Government circles

The 740-page report sent shockwaves through the BBC. Lord Hutton said that the BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan's allegation that the Government had "sexed up" its dossier on Iraqi weapons and included intelligence it knew to be probably wrong or questionable was "unfounded

Independent: Lord Hutton's statement

Media Guardian: Press rounds on Hutton

The government may have won the battle but it appears to have comprehensively lost the war against the media, which today leapt instinctively to the BBC's defence in the face of what they widely consider to be a "whitewash" report into the Kelly affair.

In a powerful statement the Independent has a plain white front page with the word "Whitewash?" in red taking centreplace.

It asked was "all this an establishment whitewash?", adding "what of the central issues which Lord Hutton felt it could not address?".

The Daily Mail also delivered an unequivocal front page with former Telegraph editor and military author Sir Max Hastings on the front page. "We have the wretched spectacle of a BBC chairman resigning while Alastair Campbell crows from the summit of his dunghill" are his words above a picture of David Kelly's rose-strewn grave.

The Mirror also went for the jugular with two headlines: "UNFOUNDED... the charge they 'sexed up' dossier" above a picture gallery of the Labour threesome - Geoff Hoon, Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell. Beneath is "UNFOUND... the WMD they took us to war over" with full story across pages 2,4,5,6,8 and 9.