Lord Hutton's report into the circumstances surrounding the death of British government weapons expert Dr David Kelly is to be published on January 28th, it was announced today.
The decision means that Lord Hutton's long-awaited conclusions will emerge the day after the crucial House of Commons vote on Tony Blair's plans for university tuition fees on January 27th, bringing the Prime Minister's two biggest headaches together in a dramatic way.
On the day of publication, the law lord Lord Hutton will make a televised statement at the High Court summarising his findings, said a spokesman for the inquiry.
Lord Hutton
All parties represented at the inquiry - including the Government, the BBC and Dr Kelly's family - will be given 24 hours' notice of the report.
The inquiry spokesman said: "Lord Hutton's report into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly will be sent to the printers on 19th January and laid and published in Parliament on Wednesday 28th January.
"On the day of publication, Lord Hutton will make a statement summarising his report in Court 76 at the Royal Courts of Justice. His statement will be available for live broadcast on radio and television. Detailed timings will be announced in due course.
"Lord Hutton intends that the six parties represented at the inquiry will have 24 hours notice of the report.
"Parties will be required to sign an undertaking not to reveal the contents of the report before publication." More to follow.