FORMER health secretary Stephen Dorrell has spoken of his regret at claiming beef posed "no conceivable risk" to the public.

Just months after making the remark, the Worcester-based MP gave his first warning of the link between BSE and variant CJD.

"The question about conceivable risk was that it was my phrase," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"I have responsibility for that and I, as I have said, I regret having made that statement.

"But the broader scientific advice coming to the Government at that time was advice made in good faith by the relevant advisory body.

"The key question that the Phillips inquiry addressed - and we clearly now need to go away and reflect upon - is how to ensure if similar circumstances ever arose again we get better quality advice, the best quality advice available."

Mr Dorrell insisted he should have told the public precautions had been taken to make beef safe "in the normal meaning of the word", and pledged policy-makers would learn from the "very sorry story".

He also said leading scientists should be quizzed on what could be done to cut the risks and the way in which to break the news to the public.