The Independent is reporting that the BBC has fresh evidence for its side of the story in the row with Alastair Campbell and the Blair government:

Andrew Gilligan, the BBC reporter who has been the focus of government attacks, will produce further information on how the intelligence services were supposedly pressured by Mr Campbell about the “45-minute threats” posed by Saddam Hussein, which appeared in the first Downing Street dossier last September.

An investigation is under way, allegedly at the behest of Number 10, to hunt down Gilligan’s source.

Mr Gilligan, the defence and diplomatic correspondent of Radio 4′s Today programme, has told Richard Sambrook, the head of news at the BBC, the identity of his informant. Greg Dyke, the director general, has been given details of the source but not his name.

Sources within the intelligence services have indicated that they will be “combative” if the Government attempts to start a witch-hunt to find out those responsible for leaks to a number of journalists about the unhappiness within the services over how intelligence on Iraq was manipulated.

[…]

Mr Gilligan, with the backing of the BBC, has announced that he is ready to sue Phil Woolas, the deputy leader of the House of Commons, over the allegation that he misled the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. … </blockquote>

Oh, yay! This is getting ever more fun. I hope Today gets into more sneering fights with government ministers, the way they did on Friday with Ben Bradshaw (RealAudio). That will really get me out of bed!