Phone hacking: Govt refuses to act
Monday, 6 September 2010 5:00 PM
By Ian Dunt and Alex Stevenson
The government will take no action over the phone hacking row and will leave the matter in the hands of the police, the home secretary has confirmed.
The decision came on a dramatic day in Westminster, which saw the police refused in their request for evidence from the New York Times and Andy Coulson offer himself up for questioning.
Mr Coulson, Downing Street's director of communications, said he was willing to talk to police just as Scotland Yard re-opened the case on phone hacking at the News of the World.
"The integrity of our democracy is at scrutiny around the world," Labour MP Tom Watson told Theresa May after tabling an urgent question on the matter this afternoon.
"The home secretary must not join the conspiracy to make it a laughing stock."
Ms May replied: "He says there is new evidence. There is, as far as I can see, allegations that have been made in a newspaper.
"This government takes the view it is for the Metropolitan police, as an operational matter, to decide what the right course of action is and for the government to wait for the outcome."
Labour scrambled to cause as much damage to the Tories as possible when the issue arrived in the Commons today.
Former Labour minister Chris Bryant raised a point of order demanding the Speaker write to police himself, on the basis that MPs' security had been affected by hacks into their mobile phones.
"It isn't appropriate to discuss security on the floor of the House," John Bercow replied.
He did suggest that MPs' could write to the police themselves however.
"It is of course open to honourable and right honourable members from any part of the House further to pursue these matters," Mr Bercow told Jack Dromey.
Shadow home secretary Alan Johnson came very close to demanding the resignation of Mr Coulson.
"Does [Ms May] agree with the secretary of state for energy and climate change [Lib Dem Chris Huhne], who told parliament last year 'that it is extraordinary that the leader of the opposition, who wants to be prime minister, employs Andy Coulson who, at best, was responsible for a newspaper that was out of control and, at worst, was personally implicated in criminal activity. The exact parallel is surely Damien McBride. If Gordon Brown was right to sack him, shouldn't David Cameron sack Andy Coulson?'
"I agree with those sentiments, forcefully expressed by her Cabinet colleague - does she?"
The New York Times dragged the row over phone hacking back into the spotlight last week after it published an investigation suggesting the practise was widespread at the News of the World and that it had been actively promoted by then-editor Mr Coulson.
Metropolitan police assistant commissioner John Yates told the Today programme that the evidence provided by the US newspaper was "new".
"We'll be considering it, and consulting with the Crown Prosecution Service before we do," he pledged.
But the New York Times has refused to hand over any of the evidence to the police.
In a story published in the newspaper today, Bill Keller, the executive editor of the New York Times, said: "Scotland Yard has declined our repeated requests for interviews and refused to release information we requested months ago under the British freedom of information law.
"After our story was published, Scotland Yard expressed renewed interest in the case and asked us to provide interview materials and notes; we declined, as we would with any such request from police. Our story speaks for itself and makes clear that the police already have evidence that they have chosen not to pursue."
A spokesperson for Mr Coulson said: "Andy Coulson has today told the Metropolitan police that he is happy to voluntarily meet them following allegations made by Sean Hoare.
"Mr Coulson emphatically denies these allegations. He has, however, offered to talk to officers if the need arises and would welcome the opportunity to give his view on Mr Hoare's claims."
The row is extremely embarrassing for the Conservatives. Mr Coulson is currently head of communications in Downing Street, a position he was given after leaving the paper in the wake of the original row, when royal editor Clive Goodman and private detective Glenn Mulcaire were jailed.
Asked if David Cameron believed Mr Coulson's denial, the prime minister's spokesman said: "Obviously he accepts the position. The reports over the weekend don't change anything for the prime minister."
Mr Coulson was at his desk this morning working as usual, No 10 added. The spokesman said: "The prime minister is completely happy with the job that Andy Coulson is currently doing." He said Mr Coulson has not offered his resignation.
The issue hit the headlines again last year when a Guardian investigation suggested the practise was not confined to Mr Goodman and had been widespread at the newspaper, with many household names from political, sporting and cultural life, having their privacy invaded.
Mr Coulson then appeared in front of the media committee to tell MPs he was unaware of a widespread culture of phone hacking at the newspaper when he was in charge.
But that claim was contradicted by Sean Hoare, a former reporter at the paper, who told the New York Times and the BBC that he had been personally asked to eavesdrop on private phone calls by Mr Coulson.
The New York Times also quoted unnamed sources at Scotland Yard saying that the police had failed to investigate properly because of its relationship with the News of the World.
The News of the World issued a statement suggesting the New York Times story was prompted by commercial rivalry.
"The News of the World repeatedly asked the New York Times to provide evidence to support their allegations and they were unable to do so," a spokesperson said.
"Indeed, the story they published contained no new credible evidence and relied heavily on anonymous sources, contrary to the paper's own editorial guidelines.
"In so doing they have undermined their own reputation and confirmed our suspicion their story was motivated by commercial rivalry.
"We reject absolutely any suggestion there was a widespread culture of wrongdoing at the News of the World."
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