Phone hacking scandal deepens

[Jan Klimkowski]

Democracy in action.

With Murdoch's lackey Coulson now Director of Communications for the British government.

MPs 'backed off' over phone-hacking probe

By Cathy Newman
Updated on 10 September 2010

Exclusive: Channel 4 News has learned that members of the committee set up to investigate the phone hacking scandal shied away from forcing News International chief executive and former Sun editor Rebekah Brooks to attend a meeting with them.

After Mrs Brooks had repeatedly avoided being interviewed, four MPs on the Commons culture, media and sport committee wanted to ask the Serjeant at Arms, the Commons official in charge of security, to issue a warrant forcing her to attend.

In an exclusive interview, former Plaid Cymru MP, and a member of the committee, Adam Price says he was warned by a senior Conservative committee member that if the committee pursued this plan, the tabloids might punish him by looking into his personal life.

"We could have used the nuclear option. We decided not to, I think to some extent because of what I was told at the time by a senior Conservative member of the committee, who I know was in direct contact with NI execs, that if we went for her, called her back, subpoenaed her, they would go for us - which meant effectively that they would delve into our personal lives in order to punish them and I think that's part of the reason we didn't do it. In retrospect I think that's regrettable," price said.

"It's important now that the new inquiry stands firm where we didn't. Politicians aren't above the law but neither are journalists including Rupert Murdoch's bovver boys with biros."

Another MP on the committee makes similar claims, who also sat on the committee, talked of being intimidated.

He told Channel 4 News: "A former Labour cabinet minister has confirmed to me this week that News International talked to my former colleagues in No. 10 Downing St to ask them whether I would withdraw my aggressive line of questioning and their lawyer tried to have me removed from the committee on the grounds that I was suing them for libel and may have a potential interest so yes they did try and stop me conducting my enquiries.

"I felt it was undue influence, yes. I felt very frightened and intimidated."

In a statement to Channel 4 News, the committee chairman John Whittingdale, said: "When it was suggested by Labour members to force Rebekah Brooks to attend, I recall a conversation with Adam Price in which the repercussions for members' personal lives were mentioned.

"But that had no bearing on my own decision to oppose bringing in the Serjeant at Arms. Nor do I have any reason to think there was any suggestion that News International would target our private lives."

MPs have this week approved a new parliamentary inquiry into the phone hacking scandal following fresh allegations that the News of the World repeatedly hacked into celebrities' phones when the prime minister's communications director Andy Coulson was editor.

Mr Coulson has repeatedly denied he was aware of the practice.

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/po...on/3764177