ITV News cut its usual programming today before Lord Hutton's live broadcast to report that Davies, a Labour government appointee, was "considering his position" after the outcome of the report blamed the BBC's board of governors.
The report blasted the corporation for failing to fully investigate the claims in Andrew Gilligan's report on Radio 4's 'Today' programme about government claims on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Lord Hutton said Gilligan's "very grave allegation" about the dossier being "sexed up" were "unfounded".
The BBC is said to be strongly denying rumours sweeping Westminster that Gilligan has also resigned. There were previous reports that if Gilligan was not given his old job back he planned to write a book telling his side of story.
In addition, speculation is mounting on the future position of BBC director general Greg Dyke and head of news Richard Sambrook.
According to The Guardian, Davies has been in talks with Dyke and Sambrook this morning working on a response to Lord Hutton's findings. The Hutton Report heavily criticised the editorial system at the BBC as "defective."
Davies initially backed Gilligan on July 6 after an emergency meeting of the corporation's governors, despite admitting reservations about his 'Today' report at the same meeting. The BBC governors were accused by Number 10 of backing Gilligan without being in possession of all of the facts.
However, the BBC is being strongly urged against sacking or even disciplining Gilligan by the National Union of Journalists. It has accused Hutton's report of being "selective, grossly one-sided".
Rod Liddle, the former editor of the 'Today' programme, said: "Lord Hutton is not in touch with the real world."
NUJ president Jeremy Dear told the Al Jazeera website: "Any investigative journalist performing a public service has to feel that they are being supported. The worst thing that could come out of the Hutton Report would be for journalists to become timid in the face of government attempts to manipulate the news agenda."
The Sun leaked the contents of the Hutton Report on its front page today, claiming a "world exclusive"." Legal action is currently being considered about the leak.
The Tories have blamed the leak on the government, which has denied the accusation. Trevor Kavanagh, the Sun political editor who broke the story, said this morning that he was leaked the report by someone with no political or financial motive.
After summarising his report at the High Court, Lord Hutton addressed the leak in today's Sun newspaper. He said he deplored the reporting of some of the conclusions of his report by a newspaper in circumstances where it was known that in the public interest he sought to ensure that the contents of the report would remain confidential until it was published.
"Throughout the inquiry I have taken steps to make available to the public as soon as possible the evidence I have heard and all the statements which I have made. In the interests of fairness, I gave advance copies of my report to the parties 24 hours in advance of publication, subject to strict undertakings as to confidentiality.
"And it is all the more regrettable that the newspaper published its report of some of my conclusions when the public had only to wait for half a day before I published the full contents of my report.
"I am now giving urgent consideration to what investigative and legal action I should take in respect of the newspaper and its source."
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