the Hutton Inquiry
/ðə ˈhʌtn ɪnkwaɪəri/
/ðə ˈhʌtn ɪnkwəri/, /ðə ˈhʌtn ɪnkwaɪəri/
- an inquiry (2003-04) set up by the British government and led by Lord Hutton, a retired Law Lord, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a government scientist, Dr David Kelly, in 2003. After interviewing members of the government, experts and journalists, Lord Hutton's report said it was likely that Dr Kelly had killed himself because of the pressure he was under after talking to a BBC journalist about the government's reasons for becoming involved in the war in Iraq. The report criticized the government and especially the BBC for the way the situation was dealt with and, as a result, the Chairman of the BBC, Gavyn Davies, and the Director-General of the BBC, Greg Dyke, left their jobs.