Campaigners are racing against time to challenge the Government’s decision not to order an inquest into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly.

They have until tomorrow to raise £50,000 for lawyers to begin proceedings for a judicial review of the Government’s decision.

The body of Dr Kelly, right, was found in woods near his home in Southmoor, near Abingdon, in 2003, shortly after he was revealed as the source of a BBC news report.

The report questioned the accuracy of a Government dossier which claimed Saddam Hussein had acquired weapons of mass destruction, building a case for the invasion of Iraq.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve ruled out an inquest into the death in June, telling MPs the evidence for suicide was “overwhelming”.

Campaigner Dr David Halpin, a former orthopaedic surgeon, said: “Many questions have gone unanswered and many answers have gone unquestioned.

“Why has Dr Kelly not had an inquest?

“We have to get one and we are extremely determined – we regard it as a most important case. But this does hinge on public support."”