"As you know a full judicial inquiry has been established (..) It is more appropriate to allow that inquiry to proceed," said Straw

BRUSSELS, July 21 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair has suffered huge political damage as a result of the death of an arms expert at the center of a row over whether the government "sexed up" evidence on Iraq, a poll said Monday, July 21.

The YouGov survey for the right-wing Daily Telegraph, conducted after Kelly's death had been confirmed, found that 47 percent of the voters felt the government was to blame for the death of Kelly, who bled to death after apparently slashing his wrist.

The poll also found that almost as many voters believe Blair should resign (39 per cent) as think he should stay on as Prime Minister (41 per cent).

Blair has also fallen in the estimation of 59 per cent of voters who said their opinion of him had gone down since the Kelly affair.

"Tony Blair and his government's relationship with the British people, once respectful and even affectionate, would seem to have soured, possibly beyond redemption," the Telegraph said.

The body of Kelly, a 59-year-old Ministry of Defense consultant on biological weapons, was found dead Friday, July 18.

His family said he had been under "intolerable pressure" after being grilled over suspicions that he was the anonymous source of a BBC news report in May - hotly denied by Downing Street - that a key official dossier last September on Iraq had exaggerated the threat of Saddam Hussein's arsenal.

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While the government has taken most of the flak for Kelly's death, which has dominated the news in Britain in recent days, the BBC has also come under fire for its role, with questions raised over the accuracy of its reporting.

After insisting for weeks that it needed to protect its sources, the public broadcaster confirmed for the first time Sunday that Kelly was the main source of its story in May.

A BBC statement issued on behalf of its defense correspondent Andrew Gilligan, the author of the report at the centre of the controversy, said: "I want to make it clear that I did not misquote or misrepresent David Kelly."

But the left-wing Daily Mirror daily said the BBC's defense of Gilligan's story and insistence that Kelly was its source meant the corporation was effectively accusing the dead weapons expert of lying.

"Either Kelly lied to MPs when he said he was not the main source or Gilligan exaggerated his own report," the tabloid said.

Kelly's local MP Robert Jackson, a member of the opposition Conservative Party, said BBC chairman Gavyn Davies should quit and Director General Greg Dyke "should consider his position".

Meanwhile, Clare Short, who resigned as Britain's international development secretary, saying she was misled over Iraq by Blair, said attacks on the BBC were a "distraction from the main questions about how we got to war in Iraq."

Blair was the staunchest ally of United States President George W. Bush in the military campaign launched in March, which the two leaders claimed was justified by Saddam Hussein's refusal to give up weapons of mass destruction.

Four months on, both Blair and Bush are suffering political fallout from the fact no convincing proof had been uncovered that Baghdad had such weapons.

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Meanwhile, Blair, now visiting China, ducked questions Monday on the scandal over dead arms expert David Kelly, refusing to comment on the worst crisis of his political career.

Asked whether the Kelly issue has been raised during his meeting Monday with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, he smiled and continued walking, making no comment.

Earlier Monday, journalists were shoved aside by Chinese security guards when they tried to ask Blair questions after he made a speech to British traders and investors.

Despite the furore surrounding him, Blair appeared relaxed and calm Monday, with several businessmen and officials noting he appeared to have perked up from the pale and drawn figure in evidence over the weekend when the Kelly story flared up.

On Sunday, Blair rejected calls to resign but said he was ready to appear before a judicial inquiry into the apparent suicide of Kelly.

On his part, British Foreign Minister Jack Straw was tight-lipped on Monday about the crisis surrounding Kelly's death.

"As you know a full judicial inquiry has been established (..) It is more appropriate to allow that inquiry to proceed," said Straw as he arrived in Brussels for a two-day meeting of European Union foreign ministers.

As Straw arrived at the meeting a BBC journalist attempted to challenge him on the government's role in the affair, the most serious crisis for the governing Labor Party administration since Prime Minister Tony Blair swept to power in 1997.

"The BBC has admitted that Dr Kelley was in fact their source for this dossier, do you think only the BBC has questions to answer or does the government as well?" the journalist asked, to no answer.