Duncan Smith: Blair underhand

Mr Duncan Smith accused Mr Blair and Downing Street of "underhand" and "shameful" treatment of weapons expert David Kelly.

The Lib Dem leader said that public trust in the prime minister was being undermined and said that "knowing what we know now" MPs might not have voted to back war with Iraq.

Today, he said he took responsibility for identifying Dr Kelly to the press, yet, shortly after Dr Kelly died, he told journalists that 'emphatically... I did not authorise the leaking of the name of David Kelly' Charles Kennedy Liberal Democrat leader

Mr Duncan Smith was speaking after the prime minister gave evidence to the Hutton inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr Kelly.

"The Prime Minister knew about, and was satisfied with, the underhand treatment of Dr Kelly and the systematic attempt to destroy his reputation both before and after his death," said Mr Duncan Smith.

"This is the most shameful act of this sorry saga."

Defending reputation

He added: "I think what the prime minister said begs a huge amount of questions - for example, he said they couldn't release the name of Dr Kelly publicly yet he was happy to see his name released in an underhand way and see his reputation destroyed by Downing Street officials both before and after his death.

"There are very serious questions about how they dealt with Dr Kelly, breaking all the rules."

"Nothing was done by the book - it broke all the rules and it was done to protect the reputation of Downing Street and the Prime Minister."

As to Mr Blair's wider evidence on the drawing together of the dossier, Mr Duncan Smith said: "I don't know whether he's telling the truth or not. Lord Hutton will decide on that.

'What is the truth'

Charles Kennedy said: "The prime minister's evidence has raised as many questions as it answers and a worrying picture has emerged of how Downing Street operates; in particular, its overly presidential system which is at the expense of collective cabinet government."

"Tony Blair said he was in charge of naming Dr David Kelly in a press release because he didn't want to be accused of a cover up. But that conflicts with other evidence to the inquiry.

Kennedy: Trust undermined

"Why did his officials keep saying the Ministry of Defence was the lead department and try to shift the blame to its top civil servant, and, when that didn't work, to the Defence Secretary himself?

"And why did the MoD go through the guessing game with journalists about Dr Kelly's identity, if the prime minister had agreed he could be named?"

Mr Kennedy added: "Today, he (Mr Blair) said he took responsibility for identifying Dr Kelly to the press, yet, shortly after Dr Kelly died, he told journalists travelling with him that 'emphatically... I did not authorise the leaking of the name of David Kelly'.

"When was he telling the truth?"