LORD Hutton stepped in yesterday to end speculation that the government acted improperly by making a final submission to the inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly after the public hearing had closed.

The law lord said there had been three other submissions: from Dr Kelly's family, the BBC, and Andrew Gilligan, the BBC reporter.

All parties had been given the opportunity to submit final arguments in writing after all the oral evidence into the death of the government weapons expert had been heard.

Lord Hutton sd he had decided not to publish any of the written texts after objections from some people who gave oral evidence. But he said he would consider publishing the documents after his report itself had been made public.

The row flared in the Commons yesterday when Tony Blair and Michael Howard, the Tory leader, were involved in fierce clashes over the prime minister's role in the naming of Dr Kelly as the source behind the BBC's claim of the government ''sexing up'' its Iraq weapons dossier.

The prime minister stood by the ''totality'' of what he said after Dr Kelly's body was discovered. Mr Howard argued either Mr Blair or Sir Kevin Tebbit, the Ministry of Defence permanent secretary, were lying over a meeting said to be chaired by the prime minister.

Mr Blair said ''of course'' the doctrine that if a minister was shown to have lied to the Commons he should resign applied to him ''as it applies to all ministers''.

The controversy had been reignited when it was disclosed Downing Street had sent in its final arguments after public hearings had closed.

Lord Hutton said in a statement: ''The BBC, Mr Andrew Gilligan, the Kelly family, as well as the government, availed themselves of the opportunity to submit further written submissions, and the further written submissions of each party were sent to all the other parties. Therefore, contrary to the suggestions in some of the press reports today, there was nothing surprising or unexpected or of special significance in the making of these written submissions.''

He said it had always been public knowledge that after the closing oral statements all parties had been given the opportunity to submit further written submissions to correct any factual errors.

There had been claims Downing Street itself was trying to influence the outcome of the inquiry with its late submission, or had even caused a delay in publication.

The Commons clash centred on what Mr Blair told reporters on board a plane on July 22, four days after Dr Kelly's body was discovered, when he said he had ''emphatically not'' authorised the leaking or naming of the weapons expert. He had added it was a different question for the government to give confirmation to reporters once the name was in the public domain.

Mr Howard said Sir Kevin told the inquiry the decision to disclose Dr Kelly's name was made at a meeting Mr Blair had chaired.

In his evidence, Sir Kevin said the prime minister chaired the meeting in which ''question and answer'' material used by the MoD press office to answer journalists' queries was hardened to provide more information about Dr Kelly.

The Tory leader said: ''Either the permanent secretary or the prime minister is not telling the truth.''

Mr Blair replied: ''I stand by the totality of what I said at that time, but in relation to this issue and all the other issues, the Hutton inquiry is going to report shortly. I suggest you wait for that.''