British PM demands answers in defence minister row

LONDON – 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.

Liam 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 Mr Cameron’s office at first said Fox had his ‘full confidence’.

But hours later Downing Street changed its tune, saying Mr 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.

The claims overshadowed Fox’s first visit to Libya at the weekend during which he announced 500,000 pounds (S$1.01 million) new funding for the National Transitional Council’s fight against arms proliferation.

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