Dozens of peace protesters demonstrated outside Hove Town Hall following the death of Government weapons expert Dr David Kelly.

The discovery of Dr Kelly's body in woodland near his Oxfordshire home has increased the pressure on the Government amid growing concerns about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Protesters from Hove Action For Peace urged Labour MP Ivor Caplin, now a junior defence minister, to answer questions about the likelihood of the weapons being found.

Spokesman Jenny Smith said: "We are also asking him to receive a petition to ask the Government to withdraw troops from Iraq."

Mr Caplin said: "I have received a copy of the open letter the demonstrators sent to The Argus and need time to look at it properly before I give a full answer.

"All of us feel very sad about the tragic events in relation to Dr Kelly. He was a fine official both within the civil service and during his time in Iraq as a weapons inspector.

"We will be able to say more after a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death."

Meanwhile, the BBC's credibility was in question last night after Dr Kelly was confirmed as the prime source for reports intelligence on Iraq was "sexed up".

Dr Kelly committed suicide at a beauty spot three days after telling MPs he had not made the accusation.

Tony Blair and his media chief Alastair Campbell faced calls to quit amid claims Dr Kelly was hounded to death to clear their names.

But the BBC's admission casts doubt on the report by reporter Andrew Gilligan which sparked the battle with Downing Street.

And the corporation was criticised for keeping up pressure on Dr Kelly but not naming him as the source after he was outed.

Dr Kelly's local MP, Tory Robert Jackson, said BBC chairman Gavyn Davies should go and director general Greg Dyke "should consider his position".

The Prime Minister, Mr Campbell and Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon still face serious questions about how Dr Kelly's name was leaked.

That will be a key aspect of the independent judicial inquiry by Lord Hutton.

In yesterday's statement the BBC insisted: "The BBC believes we accurately interpreted and reported the factual information obtained by us during interviews with Dr Kelly."

However, Dr Kelly told MPs investigating the claims they could not have come from the briefing he gave Mr Gilligan.

"I believe I am not the main source," he told the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

The BBC last night issued the following statement on behalf of Andrew Gilligan: "I want to make it clear I did not misquote or misrepresent Dr David Kelly.

"Separately from my meeting with him, Dr Kelly expressed very similar concerns about Downing Street interpretation of intelligence in the dossier and the unreliability of the 45-minute point to Newsnight.

"These reports have never been questioned by Downing Street.

"Although Dr Kelly had close connections with the intelligence community none of these reports ever described him as a member of the intelligence services but as a senior official closely involved in the preparation of the dossier."

Dr Kelly's death presented Tony Blair with the gravest crisis of his career during a marathon tour.

As he left Korea for China yesterday, Mr Blair said: "I know everyone, including the BBC, have been shocked by this tragedy. The independent inquiry will establish the facts in due course."