Questions mount over Fox advisor

UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox's political career was hanging in the balance Tuesday as questions mounted over his close friend Adam Werritty's financial affairs.As top government officials investigated relations between the two men, the focus of the controversy was beginning to centre on who funded Werritty's frequent globetrotting alongside Dr Fox.According to The Times newspaper Werritty's three known consultancies have earned him little more than 20,000 pounds in four years.Dr Fox apologised to the House of Commons yesterday for "blurring" the lines between ministerial work and his personal life after a report found he met a close friend a total of 40 times at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and on overseas trips.British Prime Minister David Cameron said the interim report by Ministry of Defence (MoD) permanent secretary Ursula Brennan made clear that Dr Fox had made "serious mistakes" in his links with Werritty and that procedures within his department needed tightening up.The Prime Minister ordered the Government's top civil servant, Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, to join Miss Brennan in completing her inquiry.According to a list of meetings released by the MoD last night, Dr Fox and Werritty met during visits to Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Tampa, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Israel, Washington and Sri Lanka.They also met in Tampa, Florida, for a meeting with General John Allen, the commander-designate of the Isaf mission in Afghanistan.The opposition Labour party said it was "beyond doubt" that the Defence Secretary had breached the ministerial code of conduct by attending a meeting in a Dubai hotel with representatives of defence company Cellcrypt arranged by Werritty, the best man at his wedding who styled himself an adviser to Dr Fox.Werritty was with the Defence Secretary when he met the president of Sri Lanka on a personal basis in London last year and joined Dr Fox when he visited the country in July.However, the Defence Secretary told MPs "Werritty was never present at regular departmental meetings, during private meetings we did not discuss either commercial or defence matters, he had no access to classified documents, nor was he briefed on classified matters." A source close to the Defence Secretary said Dr Fox had personally received assurances from his friend and former flatmate that he had never benefited financially from their association. But Dr Fox acknowledged he should have been more careful about their contacts, telling MPs "It was a mistake to allow distinctions to be blurred between my professional responsibilities and my loyalties to a friend."I am sorry for this, I have apologised to the Prime Minister, to the public and, at the first opportunity available, to the House."