'Phone hack' investigation row escalates
Updated on 09 July 2009
As police rule out a further inquiry into claims that public figures had their phones tapped, the director of public prosecutions announces that all the evidence is to be re-examined.
The police have ruled out any further investigation into reports that journalists at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World conspired to hack into the phones of thousands of public figures.
Scotland Yard's assistant commissioner John Yates said their original inquiry had uncovered no evidence that thousands of people - including former deputy prime minister John Prescott - had actually had their phones intercepted.
But the director of public prosecutions, Kier Starmer, said tonight he had ordered an urgent investigation into the evidence supplied by the police three years ago.
News International statement
News International have issued a statement about the claims saying: "Since February 2007, News International has continued to work with its journalists and its industry partners to ensure that its journalists fully comply with both the relevant legislation and the rigorous requirements of the PCC's Code of Conduct.
"At the same time, we will not shirk from vigorously defending our right and proper role to expose wrongdoing in the public interest."
Jon Snow spoke to Paul Baverstock, the former director of communications for the Conservative party and asked him about Andy Coulson's position with the Tories given the phone tapping allegations during his time at the News of the World.
Mr Baverstock said: "We are in this terrible position where there is no trust left in our leadership politically, in business, media or otherwise and part of the reason is that the public sees a great many mistakes happening and nobody willing to take accountability for those mistakes.
"We have to remember that Mr Coulson did the honourable thing when two of his journalists were convicted of this illegal activity and took responsibility and resigned as he should have done at the time."
Alistair Campbell who worked as a newspaper editor and political spin doctor spoke to Jon Snow about the allegations concerning the News of the World.
"I think it is fair to say that a lot of the statements made today by various of the parties involved in this, including the one from News International, haven’t actually cleared up a lot of the questions that the public will want answered," he said.
Mr Campbell went on to say he felt it was inconceivable that an editor would not ask where one of their journalists had sourced such sensitive material or 'scoops'.
He said: "Certainly in the newspapers that I worked for…sometimes you have contentious, difficult, legal, sensitive stories and the first thing the editor would say is "where has it come from?"
"If people were willing to accept that Clive Goodman, who went to jail, was a one off rogue reporter, with one rogue detective people could maybe give the benefit of the doubt.
"If, as the Guardian seem to be suggesting this is systemic, organised,
cultural if you like, then I think it beggars belief that people in senior
positions did not know."
