Gavyn Davies, the BBC’s chairman, has resigned after the Hutton Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of British government scientist Dr David Kelly heavily criticised the public broadcaster.
Davies’ resignation comes after Lord Hutton said the suggestion in BBC reports that the government “sexed up” its dossier on Iraq’s weapons with unreliable intelligence was “unfounded”.
In his resignation statement, Davies said the people at the top of organisations should accept responsibility for their actions.
“I have been brought up to believe that you cannot choose your own referee, and that the referee’s decision is final,” he said.
Davies questioned whether what Lord Hutton described as “bald conclusions” on the dossier’s production could be reconciled with the balance of the inquiry’s evidence.
The Report, available on the Hutton Inquiry website, runs to more than 700 pages. It appears to have cleared the British Prime Minister of any blame in the events leading up to the death of Dr Kelly.
In a move designed to improve systems within the BBC, Mark Byford – director of BBC World Service and Global News – was appointed the Corporation’s Deputy Director General in December with responsibility for complaint handling.