Officials working in Downing Street did not act improperly in the preparation of the Iraq dossier or the naming of Dr David Kelly to the media, Lord Hutton has concluded.

His official report found that there was no "dishonourable or underhand or duplicitous strategy by the government covertly to leak Dr Kelly's name to the media".

And the law lord also said that Number 10 officials did not act improperly in the production of the intelligence dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Downing Street staff made suggestions that strengthened the dossier but none of this was done without the approval of the intelligence community, said the report.

Lord Hutton added that John Scarlett, the senior intelligence official responsible for the dossier, had rejected suggestions that were not consistent with intelligence assessments.

The report concluded it was "not improper" for Scarlett to consider suggestions from political appointees but "the possibility cannot be completely ruled out" that Number 10's desires "may have subconsciously influenced" Scarlett to make the dossier stronger than it might otherwise have been.

While Lord Hutton also found that complaints to the BBC by former communications director Alastair Campbell had been expressed in "exceptionally strong terms" they were largely justified given the gravity of the allegations.

He said that both the Ministry of Defence and Number 10 did not engage in an "underhand strategy" to leak Dr Kelly's identity to the press.

The government had been justly concerned about possible allegations that it was "covering up" Dr Kelly's identity, added Lord Hutton.

"It was reasonable for the government to take the view that, even if it sought to keep confidential the fact that Dr Kelly had come forward, the controversy surrounding Mr Gilligan's broadcasts was so great and the level of media interest was so intense that Dr Kelly's name as Mr Gilligan's source was bound to become known to the public and that it was not a practical possibility to keep his name secret," concluded the report.

Responding to the report, Campbell said a "stain on the integrity of the prime minister and the government" had been removed.