I’m sorry, says Fox as opponents scent blood

The Defence Secretary said he had made “a mistake to allow distinctions to be blurred” between his ministerial role and “personal loyalties to a friend”. Dr Fox came under sustained pressure from opposition politicians after it emerged he was joined at meetings by Mr Werritty, who is not employed by the Ministry of Defence.

He insisted he did not “provide classified information or briefings” to his friend following a demand from Prime Minister David Cameron that he explain his working relationship with his friend, who was captured on video shaking hands with the president of Sri Lanka alongside Dr Fox.

The minister admitted yesterday he was wrong to attend a meeting in Dubai in June this year with Mr Werritty and businessman Harvey Boulter, and opposition MPs are expected to criticise Dr Fox’s conduct heavily in the Commons today, as the Defence Secretary addresses the chamber.

Dr Fox said revelations about his close links with Mr Werritty had given what he claimed was a “misleading” impression to sections of the public that his friend had an official public role.

Mr Werritty, who is not a government employee, visited the Defence Secretary at the Ministry of Defence 14 times in just over a year and handed out business cards embossed with the House of Commons logo that wrongly described him as an “adviser to the Rt Hon Dr Fox”.

Dr Fox, who returned to Britain yesterday after a trip to Libya, now faces an MoD inquiry into his working relationship with Mr Werritty.

But shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy has written to the Prime Minister calling for an independent investigation into the allegations, and claiming the current MoD inquiry is an “inadequate response” – a sign of the mounting pressure on the beleaguered Tory minister.

Former armed forces minister Kevan Jones, a Labour MP, yesterday accused Dr Fox of being “a man in denial” in a strongly worded statement that suggested the Prime Minister should sack his Tory colleague, saying that there is a “need for a Secretary of State who abides” by MoD rules.

Dr Fox, appearing outside his official ministerial residence last night, looked tired as he said he had “learned lessons” from what is the most serious scandal to affect a Tory minister since the party’s return to power last year.

The Defence Secretary, who stood against Mr Cameron in a contest to lead the party six years ago, had previously strenuously denied that 34-year-old Mr Werritty had been present at any official meetings with foreign dignitaries overseas. His department refused to comment at the weekend when questioned about the Dubai meeting.

But e-mails sent between Mr Werritty and the businessman Mr Boulter appeared to contradict Dr Fox’s account, suggesting that the Cabinet minister’s friend had been trying to fix up such a meeting since April.

Dr Fox, who faces opposition claims of breaching the ministerial code over the allegations, denied that he took action to “assist” Mr Werritty with his commercial work or “benefit personally” from it.

Dr Fox said: “At no stage did I or my department provide classified information or briefings to Mr Werritty or assist with his commercial work – let alone benefit personally from this work.

“Nevertheless, I do accept that given Mr Werritty’s defence-related business interests, my frequent contacts with him may have given an impression of wrongdoing, and may also have given third parties the misleading impression that Mr Werritty was an official adviser rather than simply a friend.

“I have learned lessons from this experience.

“I accept that with the benefit of hindsight I should have taken much greater care to ensure that any meetings with Adam Werritty, at which defence and security related issues were raised, were properly attended by officials and recorded – to protect myself and the government from any suggestion of wrongdoing.

“With respect to my meeting with Mr Boulter in Dubai in June 2011, I accept that it was wrong to meet with a commercial supplier, without the presence of an official.”

Former armed forces minister Mr Jones described the situation as “incredibly serious” and said Dr Fox’s actions would “cloud the character” of the Tory-Lib Dem coalition.

He said: “This is a remarkable admission. Just 24 hours ago Liam Fox called these allegations ‘baseless’ and now he has apologised, but yet is denying any wrongdoing took place.

“The Defence Secretary simply cannot have sensitive meetings behind the back of his officials. This is incredibly serious and this response is incredible.

“This is a man in denial. We need a full explanation of the very serious questions which remain.

“There is no need for new procedures, but there is a need for a Secretary of State who abides by existing ones.

“The public will be deeply unimpressed if this obfuscation continues and it is the duty of the Prime Minister to make sure this is no longer allowed to cloud the character of his government.”

Former Tory prime minister Sir John Major said yesterday it was now an “extremely difficult” situation for Mr Cameron to handle.

Sir John said: “Either natural justice requires you wait a long time and you are then said to be incapable of making decisions or you move too speedily and you are said to be ruthless.

“From the Prime Minister’s perspective he has to balance natural justice and the truth rather than the gossip, the rumour and things that may be true. I have no idea whether they are or not.”

Mr Murphy claimed there are “significant shortcomings” in the current internal investigation, in his letter to the Prime Minister.

He told Mr Cameron: “To arrive at a meaningful judgment on whether the ministerial code has been breached it is necessary to assess all the issues that have been raised.

“The code states that if there is an allegation about a breach then you as Prime Minister should refer this to the independent adviser on ministers’ interests.

“This course of action is now clearly necessary and I urge you take it immediately.”