8th October 2011
Liam Fox (pictured today in Libya) has faced questions over his dealings with his friend Adam Werritty
David Cameron has asked for a report on the internal investigation into Defence Secretary Liam Fox to be on his desk on Monday, Downing Street said today.
The scale of Mr Fox's dealings with a friend who poses as his adviser became clearer last night as it emerged the pair attended two more foreign trips together.
The Prime Minister has tasked Sir Gus O'Donnell, head of the civil service, with bringing him the initial findings of the inquiry into Dr Fox's working relationship with former flatmate Adam Werritty.Dr Fox is on a landmark visit to Libya and has held talks with National Transitional Council (NTC) chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil and Defence Minister Jalal al-Digheily on the progress of military operations in the country.
But the visit has been overshadowed by claims about Mr Werrity, best man at his wedding, who made 14 visits to the Ministry of Defence over 16 months.
The Defence Secretary was joined by Mr Werritty as he attended a number of official meetings.
In 2009 Dr Fox, then shadow defence secretary, went to Israel for talks on the relationship between that country and Palestine. Mr Werritty was listed as his adviser.
And, at a visit to the Gulf Research Centre think-tank in 2007, the pair were photographed holding talks around a table with two men, one wearing Arab dress.
It is believed this meeting took place in Dubai and again, Dr Fox was the Tories' defence spokesman at the time.
News of Mr Werritty's presence at the meetings appears to undermine Dr Fox's insistence that their friendship did not stray into official business.
