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- Alastair Campbell said ‘rhetoric had to be stepped up’ after BBC’s allegation
- Released government papers show strained relationship between broadcaster and No. 10 in early 2000s
LONDON: Former UK government spokesperson Alastair Campbell contemplated taking legal action against the BBC in response to the broadcaster’s coverage of the Iraq War two decades ago, according to recently released archives.
The revelations came amid renewed interest in the premiership of ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom Campbell served as a key advisor.
In a letter addressed to Blair, Campbell expressed his frustration with the BBC’s reporting, stating, “If the BBC remain belligerent, I think the rhetoric has to be stepped up, up to and including the threat of putting the issue in the hands of lawyers.”
However, this threat did not materialize as unfolding events led to Campbell’s resignation.
The disclosure of archived documents, made possible by the UK’s 20-year rule, has sparked a fresh examination of the controversies surrounding the Iraq War.
At the time, Campbell, now known for hosting the popular “Rest is Politics” podcast, was orchestrating the public relations strategy for the ruling Labour Party in response to the heated opposition surrounding the Iraq War.
Archived records indicate that Campbell had contemplated appearing on BBC News to address questions related to a dossier suggesting that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.
This consideration followed intense scrutiny of an interview by Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow just days earlier, which led some critics to claim Campbell had “completely lost the plot.”
That came after Campbell and Blair exchanged emails with senior BBC bosses telling them they were particularly alarmed by the BBC’s coverage of the Iraq dossier, later to be known as the “dodgy dossier,” a pivotal factor in the UK’s decision to engage in the conflict.
Two weeks after Campbell wrote to Blair, a Ministry of Defence employee, David Kelly, who had been named by the BBC as a source for stories about how Labour had “sexed up” WMD reports, died by suicide and an inquiry was launched.
This tragic event led to the resignations of Campbell, BBC Director-General Greg Dyke, and Chair Gavyn Davies.
The files also showed that Blair was warned the No. 10 press office had lost “all credibility” under Campbell’s combative manner with the PM’s private secretary suggesting to him that Downing Street was increasingly seen as a “politically dominated spin machine.”
In response to Friday’s release of the files, Campbell said: “Despite the bitterness of the row at the time, I bear no ill will to the BBC and have been a strong defender when it has come under attack from the right wing of the Tory party and their media cheerleaders.”
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