Watching Lord Hutton read the summary of his report last week, I couldn’t help but groan. I make no apology for saying that I was one of many who had hoped that the report into the death of weapons inspector David Kelly would bring about Blair’s downfall. But, as the law lord droned on and on last Wednesday, it became clearer and clearer that the British Prime Minister would live to fight another day. The report exonerated Blair and lambasted the BBC to an extent which no-one had expected. The rest of the day’s TV only made me more depressed. Blair in the House of Commons demanding apologies, Campbell calling for resignations at the BBC, smug John Reid seemingly in every studio in London. It was a good ay to be a Blairite.

Fortunately relief came with the following day’s papers. Opinion polls showed that over half of the British people described Hutton’s findings as a “whitewash”. The British may be conservative and deferent but they know that if it looks and smells like shit, it’s shit. Hutton’s portrayal of Blair’s government as motivated by the purest reasons simply hadn’t rung true.

His vicious and unfair attack on the BBC also turned public opinion against his findings. The corporation still has a deep well of affection among the British people. It may be haughty and out of touch but it’s still the finest news resource in the world. Cabinet ministers come and go but the BBC is part of the fabric of British life. It made some mistakes but such a savage indictment was grossly unfair, especially when Lord Hutton refused to criticise the government at all.

By putting all the blame on the BBC and none at all on the government, Hutton undermined his own report. His report was so one-sided that it lacked all credibility. If he had reserved even a small part of his venom for the way in which Blair handled the affair then his report would have gained far wider acceptance. As it is, public opinion has swung decisively behind the BBC and Blair is left with the most pyrrhic of victories.

Let’s hope that, in the fullness of time, the BBC is exonerated and continues its strong tradition of investigative journalism. In the meantime we should remember that Hutton, regardless of his findings, was only a small part of a much larger picture. No WMD has been found in Iraq. That’s still the real issue and, unfortunately for Blair, the British people understand this.