PM: Iran story sale 'a bad idea'

Last Modified: 11 Apr 2007
By: James Blake

Tony Blair criticises the decision to allow the sailors held captive by Iran to sell their stories.

"Not a good idea." Tony Blair's first comments about the decision to allow the 15 sailors and marines seized by Iran to sell their stories to the media.

The prime minister said everyone involved in the decision had acted in good faith, but with hindsight they had been wrong.

'I knew about the decision... I accepted the analysis that was put forward to me by the navy but I wasn't content with it.'
Defence Secretary Des Browne

Earlier, Defence Secretary Des Browne also broke his silence on the issue, accepting that the buck stopped with him.

He said the navy had made the decision. He noted it and later realised he wasn't happy about it.

But he said he had not been "content" with the Royal Navy's analysis of the situation, and had been asked only to "note" the decision, not endorse it.

Mr Browne, speaking in a pooled TV interview, said of the controversial move: "Responsibility for that rests with me."

Mr Browne went on -

"I knew about the decision. A note indicating the decision and the analysis of the regulations that supported that decision came into my office on Thursday and early on Friday afternoon one of my officials took me through that.

"I was asked to note the decision. Clearly over the weekend I thought about the decision and over that weekend.

"I accepted the analysis that was put forward to me by the navy but I wasn't content with it." He added he did not think the Royal Navy was content with it either.

The Conservative leader David Cameron said the decision had been "calamitous" but did not call for the defence secretary's resignation.