Episode 22 The Phone Hacking Inquiry

It is time for a look at the week's events at the Leveson Inquiry.

News International behaved like the ultimate floating voter but with

menace. He explained that the way to get access to people's Masters

was to go to the factory default setting. Everyone else thought

something untoward had happened. This week's evidence has been

dominated by the appearance of the two household names and three far

less well men -- well known men who each held the potential to unseat a

Cabinet minister. The exchanges were dominated by whether or not

there was a deal between a New Labour and Rupert Murdoch's British

newspapers. Bundy 74, a reminder there is nothing new about that

question. This former minister asked Tony Blair except for the

same thing when she took on the job of looking at how many news outlets

any one organisation could Owen. asked him whether or not any deal

had been done with Rupert Murdoch on the reform of the cross-media

ownership rules. He gave me an absolute assurance that there had

been no prior agreement. It was controversial stuff. Downing Street

was going to great lengths to get changes to media ownership rules to

the Cabinet. The barrister quoted from a note. Referring to

collective Cabinet agreement. would be a proxy for collective

Cabinet agreement. This suggestion is that the latter use and two

colleagues should include a summary of most policy decisions without

referring to the most sensitive issues. What were they? They

related to cross-media ownership. There were no such efforts to

reform the Press Complaints Commission. The last quarter

Secretary hadn't seen it SOO jobs to keep -- as her job to keep tabs

on it. Humid had lunch with them once or twice a year. -- someone

had lunch. I had no official oversight role at the BBC. She did

not complain when her phone was hacked, which led to wait �200,000

supplement from News International. She denied a claim she had refused

to help the original investigation but her privacy had been invaded

and she split up from her husband. At that time, my family had been

destroyed. I did my job every day but life was very difficult. So I

was perfectly satisfied with an explanation that related to what I

knew was an obsessive curiosity about my private life and family.

They suffered greatly as a result of that. Next up, a central figure

from the Blair years. Like another former Labour Minister before him,

he said dart the use no deal Express to imply it between any

proprietor and any leading politician that suggested that in

return for that so port for the Labour Party they could expect some

favourable treatment. That did not mean politicians did not handle the

press carefully. In the case of the sun, they were supporting you and

your government across the policy area, you would probably want to

manage the relationship. As for the press in general... It was

wrestling with a crocodile. Perhaps keep away from it. This was not all

about The Sun or News International. He said the Mirror had commissioned

a private detective to carry out inquiries relating to his bank

account and family. There is an allegation about John Yates to lead

the investigation into whether Tony Blair's government had traded cash

for something. I'm sure Mr Blair will be circumspect in what he says.

All of those close to the investigation were absolutely

convinced that Mr Yeates was briefing journalists throughout the

investigation. It was common knowledge in journalistic circles

that this was happening. I remember a journalist remarking on this to

me himself. John Yates sent a letter described as bullying. A

previously private communication has revealed relating to this

Labour MP it. And -- of Labour MP from Rebekah Brooks. She would come

to me and complain that whoever it was was hounding them. Could they

be pulled away? What of Peter Mandelson? Labour's press chief.

started in the 1980s as a robust defender of my party. Then I became

a lightning conductor for Mr Blair. Then I was picked over by a Mr

Blair's neighbour he thought that weakening the would have been an

advantage for him. First, it was back to the allegation that John

Yates had leaked stories to reporters. The lawyer for the

Metropolitan Police set about trying to demolish his case.

had an do still have no evidence that Mr Yeates or the Met Police

leaked information about that investigation. I have believe.

have no evidence. No basis for that belief. I do have basis. There was

an independent investigation into that question which concluded...

Some of the most sensitive material was never late. Including the fact

that a serving Prime Minister was in two years four times. I do not

find your line of questioning very plausible. The Labour MP and deputy

party chairman has been publicly pursuing Rupert Murdoch. If he was

more vocal than the other MPs, there was a good reason. His

colleagues in Parliament had shed their anxieties with him. About a

dozen who give different levels of detail about their sense of fear

and their own experiences. If his views were widely known, his

criticisms were memorable. News International behaved like the

ultimate floating voter but with menace. As a minister, when I

discussed issues or policy, there would always be a conversation

about how this would play out. Surrounded by lawyers and in front

of a judge, the demand was for proof. I have no hard evidence

there was a craven understanding between politicians and senior

executives. But I do believe that this is the general view of the

public. He could draw on the testimony from the previous day.

mentioned Rebekah Brooks saying to him, can members of the TCM has

committed be pulled off? That strikes me as a totally improper

thing for a Chief Executive of the company to say to the Secretary of

State to interfere with a parliamentary inquiry. That sense

of having no boundaries. Even her famous boss had tried to stand in

his way, Tom Watson claimed. Gordon Brown called you to tell you Rupert

Murdoch had telephoned Tony Blair to get him to call you what? That

right. I should say that he can't remember the call. Both have denied

it. Can you assist us with your evidence about it? I can tell you

the exact position I was stand it when I got the phone call because

the idea that Rupert Murdoch would call Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to

phone me is not the sort of thing a backbench MP would forget. Next

stop was Alan Johnson. He had to decide on News International's

behaviour in 2009 when the Guardian published an article which

suggested phone hacking was much more widespread. He decided not to

call in the inspectors of Constabulary to review the initial

phone hacking investigation. the Home Secretary to decide to

intervene in an operational matter like this on the basis of a

newspaper article, when the Director of Public Prosecutions was

looking into the evidence, I would have been -- it would have been

He had his own stories of dealing with the media. On my special

advisor at telephoned me and asked me about having an affair with a

district a member. I rang the editor of News of the World and he

said it was corroborated. It was in her blue Toyota car and you were

listening to Mozart. I pointed out I had never been to Exeter. He said

the story had been corroborated. The woman had three children and

was putting her family on the line. And I told him to run the story. I

said it would be a good pension fund when I took him to court. It

was absolute rubbish and he did not publish it. On days 76 A E Sunday

morning presenter who asked Gordon Brown whether he used pills to get

through the day. Gordon Brown said no. Some thought he had gone too

far. It is not a moment in my career which I look back on West

much pride. I would not have asked the question today. I do believe

that we got some good stories out of that interview. This was a

journalist who got to a super- injunction to stop other

journalists reporting about his private life. Very few journalists

in any position would go themselves to the PCC if they were looking for

swift redress, frankly. I have looked at the operation of the PCC

over many years. It has had many fine share persons. He made the

case between over regulating the the contact between politicians and

reporters. Or without interplay I don't think the public would have

known about the difficulties in the Blair, Brown relationship. Then a

man he considers himself a journalist, rather than a presenter.

He is not known for treating the governing classes gently. I do not

think they are all liars. I think there are many noble people who are

politicians. But back taking a general view that it is easier to

maintain a distance. Jeremy Paxman arrived with Amy's story of his own

about this man having lunch at the headquarters of the Daily Mirror.

Another television personality was there. The talking point was an

affair with an England manager. On Morgan said that he knew what had

happened in conversations between Hanoi and Ericsson. Piers Morgan

said he had not listened to Enrico Johnson's messages. He turned to me

and asked if I had a mobile telephone. He asked if my security

setting was on the messages part. I did not know what he was talking

about. He then explained the way to get access to messengers - go to

the factory default setting and press zero, zero, zero. If you did

not to use your own code, you were a full. I did not like the

atmosphere. It struck me as not nice to be teasing as someone about

private messages. A Piers Morgan replied on Twitter, right, that is

the last time I will invite Jeremy Paxman to lunch. On days 77,

evidence that could shape the fate of a Cabinet minister. When News

Corporation decided it wanted to buy the rest of the shares in BSkyB,

the government had to decide whether that would happen. They had

to appoint a minister who would act impartially. Vince Cable was

stripped of that role after he was secretly recorded saying he had

declared war on Rupert Murdoch. On the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt

then took over. There were many messages between a lobbyist and

News Corporation. Alan Smith. the period 2nd June NT ten to July

2011 we found 191 telephone calls, 151 in Laos, nearly 800 text

messages. He believes that Alan Smith's words matched Jeremy Hunt's

outlook. So, what to make of advance notice, an e-mail saying

that information had been got from Mr Smith that was absolutely

illegal. It was a bad joke. I was surprised to get a briefing on the

contents of the statements that such an early stage. In hindsight

it is always a good thing. Questions, or so, about an e-mail

in which it was claimed that J E H had asked him to guide to his

behaviour on phone hacking. Guide may be too strong a word. And

offered to brief the department on the ongoing issues that News

International. That was welcome at that time. That cost Jeremy Hunt's

special advisor his job. A note was sent to David Cameron in 20th

November 10. The UK has the chance to lead the way, but if we block it

off our Media Secretary will suffer for years. I am sure sensible

controls can be put in place. This represents a substantial change of

control. The note came before David Cameron gave Jeremy Hunt

responsibility for a quasar a judicial decision on the BSkyB deal.

On I do not regret giving the job to Jeremy Hunt. It was the right

thing to do in these circumstances. On the crucial point is: Did Jeremy

Hunt carry out his role properly. Which you describe your position on

the merits of the bin to as the same as Mr Hunt's position? Very

broadly. I do not think I particularly minded either way

Foster in a funny way I could not see what everyone was getting so

worked up about. But broadly speaking, yes. On day 78 Mr Smith

continued his evidence, repeatedly acknowledging he had been flippant

in his language was a precisely why did he resign? The obvious

question: No-one was criticising year but everyone thought you

needed to go. What do you think of that? I thought by this stage than

the deception had been created that something untoward had gone on.

That was wired offered my resignation. Everyone here thinks

he need to go. I suppose in my mind that was confirmation that everyone

else thought something untoward had happened. Documents released were

embarrassing for Jeremy Hunt. He had signed them, Daddy, a reference

to the two men having recently had children. Where does this leave

Jeremy Hunt? There were no concrete revelations this way but there has

still been a trickle of embarrassing revelations. In the

final session on Friday afternoon the most senior civil servant gave

his evidence, insisting Jeremy Hunt's aim was to reach a fair and

biased decision and he behaved too scrupulously. He also had sympathy

for Adam Smith. On I think against his will and intentions he was

drawn into a web of manipulation and exaggeration. He was

inadvertently drawn beyond what he intended all wanted. That was