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8 October 2011
Last updated at 11:59 ET
David Cameron wants the initial findings of a Ministry of Defence inquiry into Defence Secretary Liam Fox on his desk by Monday.
Mr Fox has come under fire for claims about his working relationship with his best man, Adam Werritty, who has no official role in government.
On Friday, Mr Fox ordered a MoD inquiry into whether their relationship had breached the ministerial code.
Mr Cameron has now asked the cabinet secretary to examine the report.
It comes after shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy called on Mr Cameron to order what he said would be a more independent investigation, under the control of the Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell.
He also called for Mr Fox to make a full statement on the allegations to the House of Commons on Monday.
Speaking in Libya after it emerged that Mr Werritty set up a meeting for Mr Fox with businessmen in Dubai, the defence secretary declined to answer questions about his working relationship with his friend and said the inquiry would look into the affair.
Continue reading the main story Analysis
This morning we were told that Liam Fox had the prime minister's full support. But the tone from Downing Street is changing.
David Cameron is clearly concerned that if he simply waits for the full results of the Ministry of Defence inquiry in two weeks' time, then the defence secretary - and the government - will suffer further damage. That's why the prime minister has ordered the government's most senior civil servant, Sir Gus O'Donnell, to look at the preliminary findings and report back.
As Mr Cameron would say, he's now trying to "grip" this issue. But whether No 10 can close the controversy down is uncertain.
Labour has not yet called for Dr Fox to resign. It does, though, want a clearer account of exactly what Mr Werritty's role has been.
It may be that, at the very least, Liam Fox is forced to give a full statement about his self-styled "adviser" when he appears before MPs in the House of Commons on Monday.
Mr Fox, who is in the capital, Tripoli, for talks with Jalal al-Digheily, defence minister in the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC), and the council's chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil, said: "As you know, these are perfectly legitimate questions for a democratic country.
"We've set out a mechanism whereby these will be resolved in the UK."
Earlier on Saturday, Downing Street said the prime minister had full confidence in the defence secretary.
Mr Fox has been accused of giving Mr Werritty, a former flatmate and his best man at his 2005 wedding, access to the MoD and allowing him to go on foreign trips with him.
The MoD inquiry is examining whether there was a breach of security or the ministerial code, which requires ministers to ensure there is no conflict between their public duties and private interests.
It is being carried out by the top civil servant at the MoD.
BBC political correspondent Adam Fleming said Mr Werritty had brokered the Dubai meeting in June as Mr Fox was returning from a visit to British troops in Afghanistan.
It is reported Mr Fox and the businessmen discussed technology that allows service personnel to make encrypted phone calls home.
The MoD said no officials were present but one attendee at the meeting said he had been under the impression everyone had been security cleared. Mr Werritty had no such clearance.
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Liam Fox, in Tripoli meeting members of Libya's new government, explains how the Dubai meeting arose
As well as visiting Mr Fox's office 14 times in a year-and-a-half, the defence secretary confirmed on Friday that Mr Werritty used to carry business cards which said he was an adviser to Mr Fox.
Now the Times suggests another business card has surfaced, which it claims Mr Werritty used to suggest he worked in Dr Fox's office in the Commons.
Speaking on Friday, before the new claims, the defence secretary told the BBC that "wild allegations" had been made against him.
"Because there have been some allegations of security leaks and so on, I've asked the permanent secretary to look into that for me," he said, adding that he would accept the official's findings.
Of Mr Werritty's business cards that said he was an adviser to Mr Fox, the MP said: "I understand those cards are no longer used.
"I've made it very clear to him that it's unacceptable to carry a card saying that he's a personal adviser."
Cabinet ministers are allowed to appoint special advisers, with the rules about their role and the procedure outlined in the ministerial code. For example, all appointments require the prior written approval of the prime minister.
It is not clear whether Mr Werritty went through these steps before he called himself an adviser.
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Mr Fox has come under fire for claims about his working relationship with his best man, Adam Werritty, who has no official role in government.
On Friday, Mr Fox ordered a MoD inquiry into whether their relationship had breached the ministerial code.
Mr Cameron has now asked the cabinet secretary to examine the report.
It comes after shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy called on Mr Cameron to order what he said would be a more independent investigation, under the control of the Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell.
He also called for Mr Fox to make a full statement on the allegations to the House of Commons on Monday.
Speaking in Libya after it emerged that Mr Werritty set up a meeting for Mr Fox with businessmen in Dubai, the defence secretary declined to answer questions about his working relationship with his friend and said the inquiry would look into the affair.
Continue reading the main story Analysis
This morning we were told that Liam Fox had the prime minister's full support. But the tone from Downing Street is changing.
David Cameron is clearly concerned that if he simply waits for the full results of the Ministry of Defence inquiry in two weeks' time, then the defence secretary - and the government - will suffer further damage. That's why the prime minister has ordered the government's most senior civil servant, Sir Gus O'Donnell, to look at the preliminary findings and report back.
As Mr Cameron would say, he's now trying to "grip" this issue. But whether No 10 can close the controversy down is uncertain.
Labour has not yet called for Dr Fox to resign. It does, though, want a clearer account of exactly what Mr Werritty's role has been.
It may be that, at the very least, Liam Fox is forced to give a full statement about his self-styled "adviser" when he appears before MPs in the House of Commons on Monday.
Mr Fox, who is in the capital, Tripoli, for talks with Jalal al-Digheily, defence minister in the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC), and the council's chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil, said: "As you know, these are perfectly legitimate questions for a democratic country.
"We've set out a mechanism whereby these will be resolved in the UK."
Earlier on Saturday, Downing Street said the prime minister had full confidence in the defence secretary.
Mr Fox has been accused of giving Mr Werritty, a former flatmate and his best man at his 2005 wedding, access to the MoD and allowing him to go on foreign trips with him.
The MoD inquiry is examining whether there was a breach of security or the ministerial code, which requires ministers to ensure there is no conflict between their public duties and private interests.
It is being carried out by the top civil servant at the MoD.
BBC political correspondent Adam Fleming said Mr Werritty had brokered the Dubai meeting in June as Mr Fox was returning from a visit to British troops in Afghanistan.
It is reported Mr Fox and the businessmen discussed technology that allows service personnel to make encrypted phone calls home.
The MoD said no officials were present but one attendee at the meeting said he had been under the impression everyone had been security cleared. Mr Werritty had no such clearance.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.Liam Fox, in Tripoli meeting members of Libya's new government, explains how the Dubai meeting arose
As well as visiting Mr Fox's office 14 times in a year-and-a-half, the defence secretary confirmed on Friday that Mr Werritty used to carry business cards which said he was an adviser to Mr Fox.
Now the Times suggests another business card has surfaced, which it claims Mr Werritty used to suggest he worked in Dr Fox's office in the Commons.
Speaking on Friday, before the new claims, the defence secretary told the BBC that "wild allegations" had been made against him.
"Because there have been some allegations of security leaks and so on, I've asked the permanent secretary to look into that for me," he said, adding that he would accept the official's findings.
Of Mr Werritty's business cards that said he was an adviser to Mr Fox, the MP said: "I understand those cards are no longer used.
"I've made it very clear to him that it's unacceptable to carry a card saying that he's a personal adviser."
Cabinet ministers are allowed to appoint special advisers, with the rules about their role and the procedure outlined in the ministerial code. For example, all appointments require the prior written approval of the prime minister.
It is not clear whether Mr Werritty went through these steps before he called himself an adviser.
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