Clamour grows for Navy stories probe; Defence chief takes the blame for decision.

Byline: By ED JAMES 

DEMANDS for an inquiry into the decision to allow Navy personnel to sell accounts of their captivity intensified yesterday as the Defence Secretary accepted full responsibility.

Des Browne, who slapped a ban on further sales on Monday, conceded he perhaps should have blocked the Navy from giving the go-ahead in the first place last week.

As families and politicians criticised the decision, he denied trying to pass the buck on to military chiefs, admitting in his first interview since the controversy erupted: "Ultimately, the buck stops here."

But Tory leader David Cameron demanded details of who took the "calamitous" decision and when, warning it had caused "great damage to our armed forces".

And the Liberal Democrats joined his calls for answers to key questions about the "fiasco", with both parties also demanding a probe into the original capture of the Naval personnel.

The Government has faced a barrage of criticism since allowing some personnel held for 13 days by Tehran after a routine patrol to sell their stories.

Leading Seaman Faye Turney sold her story to one tabloid and the youngest captive Arthur Batchelor's account appeared in another, while others gave the media accounts without payment.

But Mr Browne then halted any further sales pending a review of procedures.

Speaking in a pooled TV interview, he said he had been asked only to note the Navy's decision, not approve it, but added: "Responsibility for that rests with me.

"A note indicating the decision and the analysis of the regulations that supported that decision came into my office on Thursday and early on Friday afternoon one of my officials took me through that. I was asked to note the decision.

"Clearly over the weekend I thought about the decision and over that weekend I accepted the analysis that was put forward to me by the Navy but I wasn't content with it.

"Although this was a Navy decision I have to take responsibility for it, and I don't seek to hide behind the fact that the Navy made the decision. Ultimately, the buck stops here.

"Clearly, with hindsight, I could have made a different decision."

The Defence Secretary, who will make a statement to MPs on Monday when they return from their two-week Easter break, said his first contact with the Prime Minister on the issue came on Monday, when he was formulating the U-turn.

But Mr Cameron, speaking as he visited an RAF base in Scotland, said Mr Browne had failed to answer important questions over the decision-making process.

"We need a full explanation of the calamitous decision that ministers made to encourage armed forces personnel to sell their stories to the media," he said.