Labour demands reopening of Leveson inquiry over press 'blagging' claims

Labour has demanded the government reverse its decision to cancel the second part of the Leveson inquiry into the press after a series of allegations were made by a former “blagger” about his 15 years of work on behalf of the Sunday Times.

Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, told the Commons that the activities of John Ford, who worked off the books for the newspaper for 15 years, including obtaining bank and phone records by deception, demonstrated that an additional inquiry was necessary.

In an urgent question, he accused the culture secretary, Matt Hancock, of “capitulating to the press barons who want to use their raw power to close down a national public inquiry”.

Watson said: “So I would like to ask him, in light of these new allegations, will he reconsider his decision on the public inquiry into illegality in the press? If not, then how will he assure this house and the public that these new allegations of criminal behaviour by the Sunday Times will be fully investigated?”

Hancock said it was a “matter for the police to follow up any evidence of criminal wrongdoing”, and the allegations were historical because they covered a period between 1995 and 2010. He said Ford’s allegations were covered by the original Leveson inquiry, although his name was mentioned only once in the proceedings in 2011 and 2012.

Source: theguardian