Over the past weekend and on Monday 17th July 2011 the full extent of the known criminality within News International and the Metropolitan Police, together with the relative culpability of three Prime Ministers became accepted by the British media. Mr Cameron, unwisely away in Africa proved he still does not get it but will return to make a statement to the Commons and face his Chamberlain moment. I anticipate that it will be William Hague the Foreign Secretary who will take him to one side with Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister, and say “sorry Dave, for the Coalition to survive and have any chance of winning the next General Election you have to go“. Teresa May, the Home Secretary by her gravitas performance at the Despatch Box yesterday against Labour’s marauders demonstrated she is capable of taking over. She had just arranged the resignations of the most powerful policeman in the UK together with the head of counter terrorism, both men of integrity and who have contributed with distinction to the safety and reduction of crime in the capital.
The man who will make the call for Mr Cameron to go now will be Edward Miliband, Leader of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition and the voice of the majority the British general public, and who if he also shows continuing contrition on behalf of his Party for being afraid of the Murdoch’s in the past, will be forgiven and given opportunity to demonstrate that he is an alternative Prime Minister in the making.
Yesterday at noon he showed again how much he has got it by giving a talk about the need for those with power in the UK to show greater responsibility and humility, relating the present scandal to the irresponsibility of the Bankers and the recent behaviour of Members of Parliament and their expenses. The morning had opened with his call to Mr Cameron to arrange an additional Parliamentary Day before the summer recess. Mr Cameron who had ignored the well known law that to leave your desk at any moment of crisis is to incite your own demise, quickly yielded to the request and cut short the ill timed trade mission and celebration of the 90th birthday of Nelson Mandela.
Over the past weekend and yesterday 18th of July 2011, it became evident that war has been declared between the highest Levels of the Metropolitan Police and their political masters of the past decade and between the Labour and Conservative Parliamentary Parties
First, Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson brought in to replace the now Lord Stevens in 2005 resigned following a series of allegations about his conduct:-
(1) That it was he who advised Assistant Police Commissioner Yates on the undertaking of the review of the evidence obtained by the police following the arrest of Private Investigator Glenn Mulcaire in 2006 after Nick Davies had published his Exocet in the Guardian on July 9th 2009 and which also exposed the role of Private Investigators John Boyall and Stephen Whittamore whose records the Information Commissioner was to disclose revealing that 300 journalists had requested information with those from the Daily Mail making 900 requests. The Labour Government then took no action to its shame.
(2)That he had not disclosed until recently pressed the employment by the Metropolitan Police of the former Deputy Editor of the News of the World, (when Andy Coulson was Editor), his company Chamy Media providing strategic communication advice and support from October 2009 to Sept 2010.
(3) And that he had accepted an estimated £12000 accommodation and food for himself and his wife at Champneys over a period of several weeks as part of treatment paid by the Metropolitan Police as part of his recuperation from two major operations on a leg, resulting in a much earlier full return to work.
(4) It is also reported that the Commissioner, as had all three Prime Ministers, attended regular private meetings, including social meetings with Mr Murdoch, his son, the Chief Executive and other members of News International and its media executives.
In his resignation statement the Commissioner denied wrong doing and said his integrity remained intact. His behaviour has since been referred by the Standards Committee of the Greater London Police Authority for independent review. He also disclosed that he had not felt able to disclose aspects of the Metropolitan Police investigation to the Prime Minister and his government because the Prime Minister was employing Andy Coulson, recently arrested and who had been the boss the of Neil Wallis who also had now been arrested.
This led Journalists and politicians first to question Mr Cameron away in South Africa, then Boris Johnson, London’s Mayor, and then Teresa May, the Home Secretary with increasing ferocity making his position in my judgement untenable because of his continuing failure to admit he made a great mistake.
The point being made is that if the Commissioner of Police and one of his Assistants have resigned, in major part because of the employment and involvement with Mr Wallis why should Mr Cameron also not resign who employed Mr Coulson not once but twice, as Opposition Leader and as Prime Minister. Mr Wallis had left News International while Mr Coulson had resigned and both men and now been arrested in relation to allegations of involvement in police corruption and criminal spying on civilians. While calls for his resignation have come from Labour backbenchers such as Gerald Kaufman and the “Beast of Bolsover” Conservatives Members of Parliament are telling news personalities where will it all end. Over the weekend Mr Cameron released the basic details of his regular meetings and social events with News media moguls and top executives in which the Murdoch organisation was most prominent, He also included a separate list of those invited to stay at his official country home of Chequers and under further questioning admitted that Andy Coulson has visited three months after he had resigned from his Number 10 appointment as Communications Director. The lists are available from the number 10 website.
In fairness to Mr Cameron and Mr Coulson the argument put forward by former Commissioner Stephenson does not hold water. It was the individuals within the Metropolitan Police who covered up the several thousands names in the Mulcaire papers and it was Stephenson and Yates who were given the opportunity to take action two years ago on the available information and who failed to do so. Mr Cameron admits it was his decision to employ Mr Coulson who accepted accountability and resigned but has consistently denied personal wrongdoing, did an excellent job for Mr Cameron and the Tory Party when in Opposition and then when in Government and he again resigned when it became evident this January that his continuation as Communications Director had become too difficult for him to sustain. By then he had become a family friend of the Cameron’s, as had Ms Brooks, and Mr Cameron to his credit remains loyal to his friends however much this places his own position in peril. I have suspected from what Mr Cameron has said repeatedly to Parliament and to the media that if it is shown that Mr Coulson lied to him he then will consider his personal position, but not beforehand.
Then on Monday Assistant Commissioner John Yates also tended his resignation having been notified that the London Police Authority Standards Committee proposed to suspend him pending reference of his actions and statements to the independent committee for further investigation. My Yates had recently failed to convince the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee of his explanation and apologies for failing to investigate in depth the information held by the police after the arrest of Glenn Mulcaire. As one former senior police officer said, all he had to do was get a couple of officers to read a few pages of the held documentation for them to realise all the information had to be read and acted upon.
Today there were the added allegations that while working with Neil Wallis he had helped the daughter of Mr Wallis to obtain a job with the Metropolitan Police. He like his boss also had regular social contact with senior members of the Murdoch organisation
Mr Stephenson has also made a similar statement to that of his former boss claiming that his integrity was intact and expressing anger at statements being made by politicians and in the media about him. Both men believe that they will be vindicated in the judicial investigation set up my Mr Cameron and agreed by all the main party leaders. Mr Cameron, after government consultation with the other political parties and devolved governments will announce the final terms of reference on Wednesday together with the names of those on the Inquiry panels. In fairness to Mr Cameron and the government it is crucial that the terms of reference are agreed by all the parties as well as the members of the panels who undertake the main work of the inquiries.
Yesterday Mr Yates was scheduled to appear again before the Home Affaires Committee today but he was not listed when the Orders of the day were announced last night. Sir Paul will appear at midday to be followed by the Director of Public Affairs who is said to have arranged the contract to employ Mr Willis. Yesterday it was also said that the present and previous Directors of Public Prosecutions, the latter now employed by News International advising on financial claims being made against the Corporation would both appear before the committee later in the day. This was not confirmed last night.
In addition to Mr Stephenson and Mr Yates two other former senior police officers have been referred by the London Police Authority to the independent committee on standards for further investigation, former Assistant Police Commissioner Andy Hayman who immediately became a journalist for a Murdoch newspaper within weeks of leaving the force and who was at the helm at the time of the original police investigation into the crimes committed by Mr Mulcaire and the News of the World Royal Reporter Clive Goodman. Mr Hayman is known to have had a hospitality meal with other New International executives while that review was underway. Mr Hayman said at interview before the Home Affairs Committee that News International would have been suspicious if he refused their invitation at the time of the investigation given that he had accepted all their previous and regular invitations.
The other retired officer is former Deputy Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Clarke who undertook the actual investigation and reported to Mr Hayman. He in turn told the Committee he had not been briefed by the men who went through the 11000 pages of information obtained from Mulcaire and which we know contained the names and personal information of several thousands individuals, their families and friends.
Tonight on Channel Four News the story of the involvement of the police took another important twist and confirmed my understanding that the present scandals have their roots in the murder of the South London Private Detective Daniel Morgan in 1987 allegedly for attempting to blow the whistle on police corruption, police involvement in drug trafficking and robbery.
Four men, including his business partner Jonathan Rees and a police officer were prosecuted for the murder but the case was stopped and the four men released. Later Rees was sent to prison for seven years for framing the wife of a male client. Rees is known to have worked for News International for over a decade before and after his release from prison.
On June 25 2002 on the BBC Crime Watch programme Metropolitan Police Detective Jacqui Hames introduced Detective Dave Cook who announced that the Metropolitan Police were offering £50000 for information concerning the death of Daniel Morgan. Almost immediately after the programme the two detectives found themselves under surveillance and colleagues were able to confirm that one of the vehicles was hired for the News of World. If, as understood, the News of the World were investigating allegations that the two Detectives had an undeclared private relationship they were quickly disappointed because the couple were married with two children. In the programme Jacqui explained how frightened she became. Confidential details of her husband were also targeted. Mr Cook confronted News of the World Editor Rebeckah Brooks at the time.
Nearly ten years later the police advised that details of their private information were found among the papers of Glenn Mulcaire. The couple are among the group of test unlimited damage claims being launched by Mark Lewis Solicitor and member of the Hacked Off campaign.
In this evening’s Panorama Mark Lewis explained that he had been employed to act for Gordon Taylor who was paid a total of £700000 damages and legal costs by News International authorised by the son of Rupert Murdoch James Murdoch and where James has gone on record apologising for taking the decision to settle the claim and have the judge seal the documents at a time when he lacked full information. Mr Lewis also represents the Millie Dowler Family. The Murdoch’s have also settled with Max Clifford and the actress Senna Miller and her mother.
In the Panorama programme the former Formula one boss Max Mosley disclosed that he was back stop financing the legal action for those whose homes and livelihoods were at risk to an amount of several million pounds, although he was not expecting to lose the actions. He has also successfully sued News International.
In the programme Nick Davies explained the approach of News International to deny and then admit when evidence was presented and then any more. In Mr Mosley’s words, the spell is now broken.
These events had been overshadowed by the news on Sunday that the News International Chief Executive and former Sun newspaper and News of the World Newspapers Editor had attended a police station by appointment and had been arrested and then bailed. On Monday her solicitor expressed concern at the action of the police saying that during her many hours of questioning in the period of 12 hours in which she was held she was not accused of anything specific or shown documents which linked her to wrong doing. He said action would be taken against the police for damaging her reputation.
Disquiet was expressed in the media over the timing of the arrest on a Sunday as a potential means of preventing or limiting what she could say to the Culture and Media House of Commons Committee. It has been confirmed that Ms Brooks will appear at the committee after Mr Murdoch and his son. The Committee Chairman and other politicians have pointed out that they possess expert legal advice to prevent any questions and their answers undermining the police criminal investigation. The greater fear is that the owners and the executive will be advised by their legal counsel not to answer any question which could incriminate themselves or the company.
A hint of what was to come on Monday when the Mayor of London revealed that the Police Committee was considering the position of Mr Yates when giving and early response to the resignation of the Police Commissioner. We then were promised a statement from the London Police Committee at various times and from Mr Yates. It was the Mayor who gave his reactions to the two resignations, expressing his gratitude for the work the two men had undertaken, emphasising that the force was organised in such a way that all its essential work could continue and then indicating why the resignations had become necessary. This led to vigorous questioning of the Mayor who in 2009 before the General Election had dismissed the allegations as rubbish and being made for political reasons by members of the Labour Party. The Mayor defended what he has said because it was based on what the police and told him. When it came to the position of the Prime Minister the Mayor did not leap to Mr Cameron’s defence as other had been organised to do over the weekend, especially the former Party leader and Foreign Secretary Douglas Hague.
The Deputy Prime Minister when Interviewed on the Andrew Marr show on Sunday appeared most uncomfortable when asked about the position of Mr Cameron. In the Panorama programme there was reference to how Mr Ashdown, now Lord Ashdown, had been embarrassed by the News of the World revelations of an extra marital relationship five years previously when as Leader of the Liberal Democrats there was a strong possibility that his party would hold the balance of power after the General Election. The information had come from a break in at the office of his solicitor which had only come to light when the stolen record was disclosed as having into the hands of the News of the World. It was left to former Liberal Democrat Leader Charles Kennedy to express the anger of his party at the behaviour of the Murdoch Empire.
Another significant piece of evidence in the Panorama programme came from a former sports journalist at the News of the World who had been amazed when he was told the contents of the medical records of Alex Ferguson after he had asked colleagues for help to confirm rumours that Sir Alex had become ill and was considering retiring from his job.
In his midday speech Mr Miliband again made the point that the country needed decisive ongoing leadership and that Parliament should sit an extra day to consider the outcome of the hearings of the two committees on the Tuesday. No sooner had Mr Miliband request the extra day did Mr Cameron announced his agreement at the press conference with the President of South Africa. The suggestion is that the Prime Minister will come to the House and make a statement of the latest action being taken by the Government followed by questions but will not lead or participate in the subsequent debate which will occupy the rest of the day. The media has been emphasising the important role Mr Miliband has been taking over the past two weeks with the Prime Minister playing catch up. The Prime Minister was able to seize back the initiative last Wednesday but it is difficult to see what more he can say this Wednesday except in relation to the Judicial led inquiries.
The initiative was taken by the Home Secretary who announced three more Police inquiries which enabled the issues to cover police authorities throughout England and Wales. I think here are ten separate inquiries now underway. The two original two police inquiries plus the three new ones, the two judicial led inquiries and the two House of Commons Inquiries. There is also the question of fraud being looked at and liaison with inquiries underway by the FBI and USA regulatory authorities and presumable at some stage with those now emerging in Australia.
The Home Secretary looked bemused at times by the passion of the attacks being made by opposition members she was given major support by the presence of a number of other Government Ministers. She was asked the same question in different forms time and time again which she answered in various forms time and time again and continued to do so for more than one hour. She and some of her back bench colleagues attempted to divert attention from the role of the Prime Minister by referring to what happened under the Labour administrations although this was far from being as effective as she and the government would have liked. The problem is that the Labour Party sense blood and are thrilled at the performance of their Leader and their front bench with Yvette Cooper showing how robust she can be while those on the government benches appear increasingly dispirited and questioning while looking over their shoulders at the position of the Liberal Democrats who are caught between a rock and a hard place.
Earlier the Leader of the House explained the mechanism by which both Houses would be able to sit the extra day. The speaker indicated with evident relish that he was more than willing to agree.
Then late evening it was revealed that earlier in the day the former Social Editor at the News of the World who had revealed the extent of dirty and illegal tricks at the News of the World was found dead in unexplained circumstances although the circumstances were said not be suspicious. The reports added that the man had drug and drink problems and that a key witness had been lost, especially in relation to Mr Coulson. The death is set to make headlines in the early editions of newspapers.
On the AOL site over 300 people have commented on the news of the death of Sean Hoare most suggesting another death and cover to make others afraid of telling the truth. Someone also suggested thatthe story was made up and took his life out of guilt.
Then on Yahoo came the story that a group of hackers were diverting those going to the Sun newspaper front page to new site which alleged that Rupert Murdoch had been found dead. It had been another extraordinary day. More is yet to come.
The man who will make the call for Mr Cameron to go now will be Edward Miliband, Leader of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition and the voice of the majority the British general public, and who if he also shows continuing contrition on behalf of his Party for being afraid of the Murdoch’s in the past, will be forgiven and given opportunity to demonstrate that he is an alternative Prime Minister in the making.
Yesterday at noon he showed again how much he has got it by giving a talk about the need for those with power in the UK to show greater responsibility and humility, relating the present scandal to the irresponsibility of the Bankers and the recent behaviour of Members of Parliament and their expenses. The morning had opened with his call to Mr Cameron to arrange an additional Parliamentary Day before the summer recess. Mr Cameron who had ignored the well known law that to leave your desk at any moment of crisis is to incite your own demise, quickly yielded to the request and cut short the ill timed trade mission and celebration of the 90th birthday of Nelson Mandela.
Over the past weekend and yesterday 18th of July 2011, it became evident that war has been declared between the highest Levels of the Metropolitan Police and their political masters of the past decade and between the Labour and Conservative Parliamentary Parties
First, Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson brought in to replace the now Lord Stevens in 2005 resigned following a series of allegations about his conduct:-
(1) That it was he who advised Assistant Police Commissioner Yates on the undertaking of the review of the evidence obtained by the police following the arrest of Private Investigator Glenn Mulcaire in 2006 after Nick Davies had published his Exocet in the Guardian on July 9th 2009 and which also exposed the role of Private Investigators John Boyall and Stephen Whittamore whose records the Information Commissioner was to disclose revealing that 300 journalists had requested information with those from the Daily Mail making 900 requests. The Labour Government then took no action to its shame.
(2)That he had not disclosed until recently pressed the employment by the Metropolitan Police of the former Deputy Editor of the News of the World, (when Andy Coulson was Editor), his company Chamy Media providing strategic communication advice and support from October 2009 to Sept 2010.
(3) And that he had accepted an estimated £12000 accommodation and food for himself and his wife at Champneys over a period of several weeks as part of treatment paid by the Metropolitan Police as part of his recuperation from two major operations on a leg, resulting in a much earlier full return to work.
(4) It is also reported that the Commissioner, as had all three Prime Ministers, attended regular private meetings, including social meetings with Mr Murdoch, his son, the Chief Executive and other members of News International and its media executives.
In his resignation statement the Commissioner denied wrong doing and said his integrity remained intact. His behaviour has since been referred by the Standards Committee of the Greater London Police Authority for independent review. He also disclosed that he had not felt able to disclose aspects of the Metropolitan Police investigation to the Prime Minister and his government because the Prime Minister was employing Andy Coulson, recently arrested and who had been the boss the of Neil Wallis who also had now been arrested.
This led Journalists and politicians first to question Mr Cameron away in South Africa, then Boris Johnson, London’s Mayor, and then Teresa May, the Home Secretary with increasing ferocity making his position in my judgement untenable because of his continuing failure to admit he made a great mistake.
The point being made is that if the Commissioner of Police and one of his Assistants have resigned, in major part because of the employment and involvement with Mr Wallis why should Mr Cameron also not resign who employed Mr Coulson not once but twice, as Opposition Leader and as Prime Minister. Mr Wallis had left News International while Mr Coulson had resigned and both men and now been arrested in relation to allegations of involvement in police corruption and criminal spying on civilians. While calls for his resignation have come from Labour backbenchers such as Gerald Kaufman and the “Beast of Bolsover” Conservatives Members of Parliament are telling news personalities where will it all end. Over the weekend Mr Cameron released the basic details of his regular meetings and social events with News media moguls and top executives in which the Murdoch organisation was most prominent, He also included a separate list of those invited to stay at his official country home of Chequers and under further questioning admitted that Andy Coulson has visited three months after he had resigned from his Number 10 appointment as Communications Director. The lists are available from the number 10 website.
In fairness to Mr Cameron and Mr Coulson the argument put forward by former Commissioner Stephenson does not hold water. It was the individuals within the Metropolitan Police who covered up the several thousands names in the Mulcaire papers and it was Stephenson and Yates who were given the opportunity to take action two years ago on the available information and who failed to do so. Mr Cameron admits it was his decision to employ Mr Coulson who accepted accountability and resigned but has consistently denied personal wrongdoing, did an excellent job for Mr Cameron and the Tory Party when in Opposition and then when in Government and he again resigned when it became evident this January that his continuation as Communications Director had become too difficult for him to sustain. By then he had become a family friend of the Cameron’s, as had Ms Brooks, and Mr Cameron to his credit remains loyal to his friends however much this places his own position in peril. I have suspected from what Mr Cameron has said repeatedly to Parliament and to the media that if it is shown that Mr Coulson lied to him he then will consider his personal position, but not beforehand.
Then on Monday Assistant Commissioner John Yates also tended his resignation having been notified that the London Police Authority Standards Committee proposed to suspend him pending reference of his actions and statements to the independent committee for further investigation. My Yates had recently failed to convince the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee of his explanation and apologies for failing to investigate in depth the information held by the police after the arrest of Glenn Mulcaire. As one former senior police officer said, all he had to do was get a couple of officers to read a few pages of the held documentation for them to realise all the information had to be read and acted upon.
Today there were the added allegations that while working with Neil Wallis he had helped the daughter of Mr Wallis to obtain a job with the Metropolitan Police. He like his boss also had regular social contact with senior members of the Murdoch organisation
Mr Stephenson has also made a similar statement to that of his former boss claiming that his integrity was intact and expressing anger at statements being made by politicians and in the media about him. Both men believe that they will be vindicated in the judicial investigation set up my Mr Cameron and agreed by all the main party leaders. Mr Cameron, after government consultation with the other political parties and devolved governments will announce the final terms of reference on Wednesday together with the names of those on the Inquiry panels. In fairness to Mr Cameron and the government it is crucial that the terms of reference are agreed by all the parties as well as the members of the panels who undertake the main work of the inquiries.
Yesterday Mr Yates was scheduled to appear again before the Home Affaires Committee today but he was not listed when the Orders of the day were announced last night. Sir Paul will appear at midday to be followed by the Director of Public Affairs who is said to have arranged the contract to employ Mr Willis. Yesterday it was also said that the present and previous Directors of Public Prosecutions, the latter now employed by News International advising on financial claims being made against the Corporation would both appear before the committee later in the day. This was not confirmed last night.
In addition to Mr Stephenson and Mr Yates two other former senior police officers have been referred by the London Police Authority to the independent committee on standards for further investigation, former Assistant Police Commissioner Andy Hayman who immediately became a journalist for a Murdoch newspaper within weeks of leaving the force and who was at the helm at the time of the original police investigation into the crimes committed by Mr Mulcaire and the News of the World Royal Reporter Clive Goodman. Mr Hayman is known to have had a hospitality meal with other New International executives while that review was underway. Mr Hayman said at interview before the Home Affairs Committee that News International would have been suspicious if he refused their invitation at the time of the investigation given that he had accepted all their previous and regular invitations.
The other retired officer is former Deputy Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Clarke who undertook the actual investigation and reported to Mr Hayman. He in turn told the Committee he had not been briefed by the men who went through the 11000 pages of information obtained from Mulcaire and which we know contained the names and personal information of several thousands individuals, their families and friends.
Tonight on Channel Four News the story of the involvement of the police took another important twist and confirmed my understanding that the present scandals have their roots in the murder of the South London Private Detective Daniel Morgan in 1987 allegedly for attempting to blow the whistle on police corruption, police involvement in drug trafficking and robbery.
Four men, including his business partner Jonathan Rees and a police officer were prosecuted for the murder but the case was stopped and the four men released. Later Rees was sent to prison for seven years for framing the wife of a male client. Rees is known to have worked for News International for over a decade before and after his release from prison.
On June 25 2002 on the BBC Crime Watch programme Metropolitan Police Detective Jacqui Hames introduced Detective Dave Cook who announced that the Metropolitan Police were offering £50000 for information concerning the death of Daniel Morgan. Almost immediately after the programme the two detectives found themselves under surveillance and colleagues were able to confirm that one of the vehicles was hired for the News of World. If, as understood, the News of the World were investigating allegations that the two Detectives had an undeclared private relationship they were quickly disappointed because the couple were married with two children. In the programme Jacqui explained how frightened she became. Confidential details of her husband were also targeted. Mr Cook confronted News of the World Editor Rebeckah Brooks at the time.
Nearly ten years later the police advised that details of their private information were found among the papers of Glenn Mulcaire. The couple are among the group of test unlimited damage claims being launched by Mark Lewis Solicitor and member of the Hacked Off campaign.
In this evening’s Panorama Mark Lewis explained that he had been employed to act for Gordon Taylor who was paid a total of £700000 damages and legal costs by News International authorised by the son of Rupert Murdoch James Murdoch and where James has gone on record apologising for taking the decision to settle the claim and have the judge seal the documents at a time when he lacked full information. Mr Lewis also represents the Millie Dowler Family. The Murdoch’s have also settled with Max Clifford and the actress Senna Miller and her mother.
In the Panorama programme the former Formula one boss Max Mosley disclosed that he was back stop financing the legal action for those whose homes and livelihoods were at risk to an amount of several million pounds, although he was not expecting to lose the actions. He has also successfully sued News International.
In the programme Nick Davies explained the approach of News International to deny and then admit when evidence was presented and then any more. In Mr Mosley’s words, the spell is now broken.
These events had been overshadowed by the news on Sunday that the News International Chief Executive and former Sun newspaper and News of the World Newspapers Editor had attended a police station by appointment and had been arrested and then bailed. On Monday her solicitor expressed concern at the action of the police saying that during her many hours of questioning in the period of 12 hours in which she was held she was not accused of anything specific or shown documents which linked her to wrong doing. He said action would be taken against the police for damaging her reputation.
Disquiet was expressed in the media over the timing of the arrest on a Sunday as a potential means of preventing or limiting what she could say to the Culture and Media House of Commons Committee. It has been confirmed that Ms Brooks will appear at the committee after Mr Murdoch and his son. The Committee Chairman and other politicians have pointed out that they possess expert legal advice to prevent any questions and their answers undermining the police criminal investigation. The greater fear is that the owners and the executive will be advised by their legal counsel not to answer any question which could incriminate themselves or the company.
A hint of what was to come on Monday when the Mayor of London revealed that the Police Committee was considering the position of Mr Yates when giving and early response to the resignation of the Police Commissioner. We then were promised a statement from the London Police Committee at various times and from Mr Yates. It was the Mayor who gave his reactions to the two resignations, expressing his gratitude for the work the two men had undertaken, emphasising that the force was organised in such a way that all its essential work could continue and then indicating why the resignations had become necessary. This led to vigorous questioning of the Mayor who in 2009 before the General Election had dismissed the allegations as rubbish and being made for political reasons by members of the Labour Party. The Mayor defended what he has said because it was based on what the police and told him. When it came to the position of the Prime Minister the Mayor did not leap to Mr Cameron’s defence as other had been organised to do over the weekend, especially the former Party leader and Foreign Secretary Douglas Hague.
The Deputy Prime Minister when Interviewed on the Andrew Marr show on Sunday appeared most uncomfortable when asked about the position of Mr Cameron. In the Panorama programme there was reference to how Mr Ashdown, now Lord Ashdown, had been embarrassed by the News of the World revelations of an extra marital relationship five years previously when as Leader of the Liberal Democrats there was a strong possibility that his party would hold the balance of power after the General Election. The information had come from a break in at the office of his solicitor which had only come to light when the stolen record was disclosed as having into the hands of the News of the World. It was left to former Liberal Democrat Leader Charles Kennedy to express the anger of his party at the behaviour of the Murdoch Empire.
Another significant piece of evidence in the Panorama programme came from a former sports journalist at the News of the World who had been amazed when he was told the contents of the medical records of Alex Ferguson after he had asked colleagues for help to confirm rumours that Sir Alex had become ill and was considering retiring from his job.
In his midday speech Mr Miliband again made the point that the country needed decisive ongoing leadership and that Parliament should sit an extra day to consider the outcome of the hearings of the two committees on the Tuesday. No sooner had Mr Miliband request the extra day did Mr Cameron announced his agreement at the press conference with the President of South Africa. The suggestion is that the Prime Minister will come to the House and make a statement of the latest action being taken by the Government followed by questions but will not lead or participate in the subsequent debate which will occupy the rest of the day. The media has been emphasising the important role Mr Miliband has been taking over the past two weeks with the Prime Minister playing catch up. The Prime Minister was able to seize back the initiative last Wednesday but it is difficult to see what more he can say this Wednesday except in relation to the Judicial led inquiries.
The initiative was taken by the Home Secretary who announced three more Police inquiries which enabled the issues to cover police authorities throughout England and Wales. I think here are ten separate inquiries now underway. The two original two police inquiries plus the three new ones, the two judicial led inquiries and the two House of Commons Inquiries. There is also the question of fraud being looked at and liaison with inquiries underway by the FBI and USA regulatory authorities and presumable at some stage with those now emerging in Australia.
The Home Secretary looked bemused at times by the passion of the attacks being made by opposition members she was given major support by the presence of a number of other Government Ministers. She was asked the same question in different forms time and time again which she answered in various forms time and time again and continued to do so for more than one hour. She and some of her back bench colleagues attempted to divert attention from the role of the Prime Minister by referring to what happened under the Labour administrations although this was far from being as effective as she and the government would have liked. The problem is that the Labour Party sense blood and are thrilled at the performance of their Leader and their front bench with Yvette Cooper showing how robust she can be while those on the government benches appear increasingly dispirited and questioning while looking over their shoulders at the position of the Liberal Democrats who are caught between a rock and a hard place.
Earlier the Leader of the House explained the mechanism by which both Houses would be able to sit the extra day. The speaker indicated with evident relish that he was more than willing to agree.
Then late evening it was revealed that earlier in the day the former Social Editor at the News of the World who had revealed the extent of dirty and illegal tricks at the News of the World was found dead in unexplained circumstances although the circumstances were said not be suspicious. The reports added that the man had drug and drink problems and that a key witness had been lost, especially in relation to Mr Coulson. The death is set to make headlines in the early editions of newspapers.
On the AOL site over 300 people have commented on the news of the death of Sean Hoare most suggesting another death and cover to make others afraid of telling the truth. Someone also suggested thatthe story was made up and took his life out of guilt.
Then on Yahoo came the story that a group of hackers were diverting those going to the Sun newspaper front page to new site which alleged that Rupert Murdoch had been found dead. It had been another extraordinary day. More is yet to come.
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