Very senior sources in Whitehall have virtually ruled out the possibility of finding weapons. They believe the weapons did exist ? but were hidden or destroyed by Saddam Hussein before the war.

The government?s case for removing Saddam Hussein centred on the claim that he possessed such weapons and that they posed a direct threat to the UK. The way the government decided to broach this subject with the British people was of ?critical importance?. Downing Street said the Prime Minister stood by what he told the Commons on Tuesday ? that he was convinced that evidence of Iraq?s weapons programme would be found. ? I have absolutely no doubt at all that we will find evidence of weapons of mass destruction programmes,? Blair said. However, reporters noted his careful language, which referred to weapons programmes rather than the weapons themselves. The development came as US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld admitted the US had had no fresh intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before going to war. But it saw existing information in a new light after 11 September, he told the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he said weapons would eventually be found in Iraq.

<B>? Come clean? </B>

Andrew Marr, political analyst said: ?Right at the top of Whitehall, they no longer believe that weapons of mass destruction are likely to turn up in Iraq. They do think there were weapons programmes there, they believe that other stuff ? interviews with Iraqi scientists, paperwork, dossiers ? that will turn up. But the actual weapons, the tubs of the evil stuff, the rusting missiles, no, belief that that will actually be available, can be shown to cameras, that is trickling away very fast at the top of government.?

As long as the Iraq Survey Group ? a team of experts tasked with looking for evidence of weapons ? continued its work, ?it is possible? weapons might be found, Mr Marr said.

Blair told the Commons liaison committee the Iraq Survey Group was ?just beginning its work?. Analysts say it could take up to two years for the group to conclude their interveiws with Iraqi scientists.

Marr said : ?We are not saying that weapons of mass destruction never existed or that the government invented them or made them up.? Indeed, a very senior source was absolutely sure when British troops went into action in Iraq they would face chemical and possibly, biological weapons.

?But as time has gone on, those weapons don?t seem to be there and the best explanation going around at the moment is that some time shortly before the war, Saddam Hussein destroyed them or hid them beyond discovery.?

Liberal Democrats Foreign Affairs spokesman, Menzies Campbell urged the government to ?come clean? about whether it believed weapons would be found in Iraq. The Liberal Democrats are calling for an independent inquiry headed by a judge to decide if the intelligence was ?sufficient to justify going to war?.