British Defence Secretary Liam Fox apologised for a row over his friends reported influence over government policy, but vowed to fight his case in parliament today. Fox said he was "very sorry" for "giving the impression of wrongdoing". In a statement he also accepted it was "a mistake to allow distinctions to be blurred between my professional responsibilities and my personal loyalties to a friend".
But the minister said he would answer "all questions" about friend Adam Werrittys involvement in government business, including Afghanistan and Libya, during the scheduled House of Commons defence questions. Fox insisted that "at no stage" did he provide classified information or briefings to Werritty, or assist the businessman in his commercial endeavours.
The under-fire minister also revealed he had apologised to Prime Minister David Cameron for meeting a commercial supplier without the presence of an official, and was working to legislate against such meetings in the future.
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday demanded an urgent report into claims his defence minister involved a friend in government business concerning Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Libya. Fox denied that national security was compromised by his ties to Adam Werritty, who was best man at his wedding but has no official government role, and Camerons office at first said Fox had his "full confidence".
But hours later Downing Street changed its tune, saying Cameron wanted a preliminary report on the facts by Monday and was not prepared to wait until an internal Ministry of Defence (MoD) inquiry reports back in a fortnight.