Werritty faces Fox questions
Adam Werritty, who joined the Defence Secretary on a third of all his overseas trips since he came into office, is being interviewed today over his links to Liam Fox. Dr Fox yesterday gave an apologetic statement to the House, admitting to "serious mistakes" in the affair.
Tory MP Patrick Mercer queried Dr Fox's ability to do his job during the distraction of the investigation. Speaking on World at One, Mr Mercer said: "The Secretary of State for Defence is running a ministry which is under serious financial strictures but much more imp is fighting certainly one hot war in Afghanistan/Pakistan, the remains of a campaign in Libya and with all sorts of difficulties and problems and further campaigns and involvement on the horizon.
"The last thing that busy civil servants need and busy uniformed staff inside the Ministry of Defence is this sort of distraction with their boss." Mr Mercer, however, said Dr Fox had his "full support and respect".
British businessman Harvey Boulter, who met the two men on a trip to Dubai, accused Dr Fox of uttering "half truths" about their meeting.
The Defence Secretary will be subject to a full inquiry by the Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell, with support from David Cameron likely to be conditional on its outcome. Analysis by the Times shows that Mr Werritty appears to have no visible means of financial support and that his consultancies have earned him only around £20,000 over the past four years.