News of the World phone hacking scandal – live updates

• Andy Coulson to be arrested today • David Cameron to give press conference • Pressure on Rebekah Brooks to quit • NOTW staff angry at Murdoch’s decision to close paper 8.49am: Andy Coulson has arrived at West End Central Police Station, on Saville Row, to answer questions that he knew about, or had direct involvement in, phone hacking, according to the Times (paywall) . 8.33am: Milband has just finished speaking. Here are some key quotes. On politicians’ relationship with the press : For too long, political leaders have been too concerned about what people in the press would think and too fearful of speaking out about these issues. If one section of the media is allowed to grow so powerful that it becomes insulated from political criticism a nd scrutiny of its behaviour, the proper system of checks and balances breaks down and abuses of power are likely to follow. We must all bear responsibility for that. My party has not been immune from it. Nor has the current government and Prime Minister. All of this is difficult because of his personal relationships and the powerful forces here. On David Cameron’s relationship with Andy Coulson : Putting it right for the prime minister means starting by the appalling error of judgement he made in hiring Andy Coulson. Apologising for bringing him in to the centre of the government machine. Coming clean about what conversations he had with Andy Coulson before and after his appointment about phone-hacking. On the need for a judge-led inquiry : We need a judge-led inquiry to shine a light on the culture and practices which need to change. This should be established immediately with terms of reference agreed before the summer. The inquiry should cover the culture and unlawful practices of some parts of the newspaper industry, the relationship between the police and media, and the nature of regulation. On the BSkyB deal : Most immediately, the decision on BskyB has significant implications for media ownership in Britain. The public must have confidence that the right decisions are being made. That is why we have consistently said there should be a reference to the Competition Commission, the proper regulatory body. The government has chosen a different path which relies on assurances from executives at News Corporation. Given the doubts hanging over the assurances about phone hacking by News international executives, I cannot see, and the public will not understand, how this can provide the fair dealing that is necessary. On the culpability of News International executives : I welcome James Murdoch’s admission of serious errors. But closing the News of the World, possibly to re-open as the Sunday Sun, is not the answer. Instead those who were in charge must take responsibility for what happened. On Media regulation and the Press Complaints Commission : The PCC was established to be a watchdog. But it has been exposed as a toothless poodle. Wherever blame lies for this, the PCC cannot restore trust in self-regulation. It is time to put the PCC out of its misery. We need a new watchdog. There needs to be fundamental change. My instincts continue to be that a form of self-regulation would be the best way forward. That is a debate we should have. But it would need to be very different to work. Let me make some initial suggestions, drawing on many of the debates about the inadequacies of the system. A new body should have: far greater independence of its Board members from those it regulates; proper investigative powers; and an ability to enforce corrections. 8.23am: Ed Milband is giving a speech at Reuters. He says it “has been a tumultuous week for British journalism with allegations that have shocked the British public’s sense of decency”. 8.17am: Good morning. Welcome to the Guardian’s continued live coverage of the News of the World phone hacking scandal. • David Cameron’s former director of communications Andy Coulson has been told by police that he will be arrested this morning over suspicions that he knew about, or had direct involvement in, the hacking of mobile phones during his editorship of the News of the World. The Guardian understands that a second arrest is also to be made in the next few days of a former senior journalist at the paper. The Guardian knows the identity of the second suspect but is withholding the name to avoid prejudicing the police investigation. • The prime minister will hold a press conference at 9.30am at which he will be under pressure over the government’s handling of the phone hacking scandal and the BSkyB takeover deal, his hiring of Andy Coulson, who resigned in January, his friendship with Rebekah Brooks and his close links with the Murdochs. Phone hacking News of the World News International Rupert Murdoch Rebekah Brooks Andy Coulson James Murdoch David Cameron Ed Miliband Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 8, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.