News Corp’s legal advisers to be replaced by Olswang, who will now advise on civil claims in relation to phone hacking News Corporation has parted company with the law firm used to defend the News of the World in lawsuits taken out by more than 60 alleged victims of phone-hacking. Farrer & Co and News Corporation’s management and standards committee said they had “mutually agreed” the move, according to a statement issued on Friday afternoon. The committee was established by Rupert Murdoch as an internal clean-up and investigations unit in July in the wake of revelations that the phone-hacking activities allegedly ordered by the defunct Sunday tabloid had affected more than 4,000 people, including the families of murder victim Milly Dowler. The move comes just days before Farrer partner Julian Pike is due to give evidence before the parliamentary committee that quizzed Murdoch and his son James over phone-hacking. Last month Pike revealed that one of the phone-hacking victims, Gordon Taylor, reportedly “wanted to be vindicated or made rich” when he was negotiating with the News of the World for compensation. This emerged in written evidence to the committee in relation to advice he gave News International ahead of a controversial £700,000 pay out to Taylor, the head of the Professional Footballers Association. Farrer & Co will be replaced by Olswang which have been asked to “advise News Group Newspapers on the appropriate resolution of civil claims in relation to phone-hacking”. The firm has also been asked to implement the £20m compensation fund that was set up earlier this year. News Group, publishers of the defunct Sunday tabloid, is facing six test cases in January to establish precedent for a total of 64 lawsuits brought against the paper. The management and standards committee comprises Will Lewis, Simon Greenberg and Jeff Palker, and reports to Joel Klein, who is also News Corp’s executive committee member responsible for News Corp’s educational initiatives. Separately, Klein was appearing alongside Rupert Murdoch on Friday at an Excellence in Education conference in San Francisco organised by Jeb Bush. A journalist asking about how Klein would develop News Corp’s educational business was ejected from the event, Olswang has been working for the committee since it was established in July. The law firm is also used by Guardian News and Media, as its external editorial legal adviser. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook News Corporation News of the World Phone hacking Media business Newspapers & magazines National newspapers News International Newspapers Lisa O’Carroll guardian.co.uk
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Ten people have died in the latest clashes as protesters urge more people to defect from the Syrian security forces Large rallies urging further defections from the Syrian security forces have been attacked by government gunmen, as a senior United Nations official warned that the country was sliding towards a full-blown civil war. At least 10 people were killed across Syria, taking the death toll in the six-month uprising to more than 3,000, not including loyalist members of the security forces who continue to target demonstrators. Deir Azour in the Kurdish north was a scene of violent clashes between security forces and defectors who had been urged to swap sides by thousands of chanting activists. In recent weeks a largely passive rights movement inside Syria has taken on a more militant tone, with activists openly seeking weapons and soldiers who have fled the army battling with their former colleagues. The Syrian government says around 1,100 security officers have been killed. On Thursday, at least 36 people were killed nationwide, 25 of them either former or serving security force members. Friday’s demonstrations were called in support of the defectors, who Syrian activists say hold the key to the future of an uprising that has become a grinding struggle. “We know the world is not coming to help us,” said one man speaking by phone from Homs. “We will do what we have to do. Our brothers in the security forces are increasingly waking up. And soon we will fight alongside them in large numbers.” The UN human rights commissioner, Navi Pillay, called for more to be done to stop the violence. “The onus is on all members of the international community to take protective action in a collective manner, before the continual ruthless repression and killings drive the country into a full-blown civil war,” she said in a statement. “As more members of the military refuse to attack civilians and change sides, the crisis is already showing worrying signs of descending into an armed struggle.” The UN and the international community have been accused of being flat-footed in their response to the crisis, in stark contrast to the enthusiastic intervention in Libya that led to Muammar Gaddafi’s ousting in August. The US and Europe have ruled out military intervention and Washington’s push for more aggressive sanctions against Damascus was stymied last week by the UN security council after Russian and Chinese vetoes. The US and Britain this week demanded that the Syrian regime stop intimidating activists abroad. US officials announced the arrest of a Syrian national who they claimed had filmed and threatened activists in Washington and then flown to Damascus to discuss opposition activities inside the US with the president, Bashar al-Assad, and his inner sanctum. Britain called in the Syrian ambassador to warn against using embassy officials to threaten UK-based activists. Amnesty International recently claimed regime monitoring of activists was taking place in around 30 capitals. In Lebanon, the Syrian ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali denied claims that Syrian officials had been responsible for the abduction of three opposition activists near Beirut. The Lebanese security force chief, Major General Ashraf Rifi, said the alleged evidence against the embassy was “conclusive”. Sources close to him said they had video evidence, written testimonies and intelligence evidence that proved the embassy was active in the abductions. Ali called on him to publicly reveal what he had. Assad this week claimed that the “most difficult phase” of the uprising had passed. His supporters staged a mass rally inside Damascus, which was cast almost as a victory parade. However, Friday’s protests erupted in areas that the regime was considered to have controlled in recent months. The city of Homs remains out of its control, with armed demonstrators protecting neighbourhoods and the Syrian military stationed on the city’s perimeter. The former Lebanese president Amin Gemayyel said Assad had little option but to continue with the lethal crackdown if he intends to try to cling to power. “Such a regime needs a minimum of brutal repression. Without it he won’t be able to lead the country,” he said. “His regime has been built on fear and repression and if you take that away he has no legitimacy. If the people start to lose their fear he is finished. But they are not there yet.” A protester from Homs said the city feared no one. “Tell Bashar he is finished and we will prevail,” he said. He would not give his name. Syria Middle East Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media Texas First Lady Anita Perry says that her husband is being persecuted by the media and the Republican establishment “because of his faith. ” “It’s been a rough month,” Anita Perry told supporters at North Greenville University Thursday. “We’ve been brutalized, eaten up and chewed up in the press.” “After Rick had won being elected for the governorship for the third time in Texas, there was a nagging, a pulling at my heart for him to run for president,” she recalled. “You know what we have no leadership in Washington. We have nobody to guide our country… God was already speaking to me, but he didn’t want to hear it… He felt like he needed to see the burning bush. I said, ‘Look, let me tell you something. You may not see that burning bush but there are people who see that burning bush for you.” Anita Perry continued: “So he truly felt like he was called to do this. We still feel called to do this. We are being brutalized by our opponents in our own party. So much of that is, I think they look at him because of his faith.” “Someone came up to Rick and handed him a scripture and said, ‘Rick, I want to tell you, God is testing you right now. God is testing you because he wants you to know when you are in the White House, how you got there.” UPDATE : John Amato: Mrs. Perry looks like a nice lady and told her husband that she saw the burning bush which called to her first, (no not George) and reassured Rick that others have seen it too which was a sign that God wanted him to run. Perry’s camp must be feeling the heat of the bush if they decided to play the religious persecution card so early and used his wife to deliver the message. I do know that a another candidate running in the GOP primary had their faith called a cult by her party and he wasn’t named Perry.
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Months after moving into renovated theatre, Boyd and executive director Vikki Heywood to stand down in 2012, a ‘planned and slow departure’ The duo who have carried the Royal Shakespeare Company into both a fresh artistic era, and a new £112.8m theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, are to step down by the end of next year. Michael Boyd , the company’s artistic director, and Vikki Heywood , its executive director, will step down simultaneously, they have announced. According to Boyd: “I have always said that it would take 10 years to make a genuine difference in the life and the soul of the company, and though 10 years will not be enough to achieve all that I would like, it will be time for me to pass the challenges on to a new artistic director.” Heywood added: “Michael and I have decided to leave at the same time because that is the right decision for the company. This is a planned and slow departure with a progressive transformation to a new leadership.” The new chairman of the RSC, Nigel Hugill, will put together a selection committee, which will hope to make an appointment in the first quarter of 2012. Running the RSC is, aside from the artistic directorship of the National Theatre, arguably the most powerful job in British theatre. A challenge for an incoming team will be to resolve the question of a permanent London home for the company, still left hanging after Boyd’s predecessor, Adrian Noble, removed the company from the Barbican shortly before his departure in 2003. Boyd inherited an organisation in crisis , with a deficit running at around £1.5m, and a demoralised staff. The redevelopment of the unsatisfactory Stratford Royal Shakespeare Theatre was also pressing. He rebuilt the RSC’s acting ensemble, establishing long-term companies-within-the-company to undertake projects – notably the 2006-8 Histories cycle, which saw Shakespeare’s eight English historical plays performed in sequence . And from 2006-7, the company staged a Complete Works festival – every word written by the playwright performed in Stratford over the course of a year. In the past year, the company has celebrated its 50th birthday and moved into the newly redeveloped Royal Shakespeare and Swan theatres in Stratford, and announced that it will be leading a World Shakespeare festival as part of next year’s Cultural Olympiad. It also opened Matilda: the Musical, with music by Tim Minchin and book by Dennis Kelly, which transfers to the West End on Tuesday . Publishing the company’s annual report, Boyd and Heywood also reported that 500,000 extra day visitors had come to the RST since it opened in November 2010. In the 2010-11 season, the company played to 90% capacity in Stratford, London and Newcastle. Heywood said: “I am immensely proud to have led the team that built arguably the finest theatre for Shakespeare in the world, which is loved by both artists and audiences.” Delivering the project “on time and on budget has been one of the greatest achievements of my career,” she added. Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre William Shakespeare Charlotte Higgins guardian.co.uk
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The man accused of Yeates’s murder covers his face as jurors see pictures of her body and injuries The man accused of murdering the landscape architect Joanna Yeates broke down in tears as photographs of her bruised and bloodied body were shown at his trial on Friday. Vincent Tabak put his face in his hands and appeared to peer through his fingers when the graphic images were displayed on screens around the court, including one close to him in the dock. Tabak, 33, who has admitted manslaughter but denies murder, then took his glasses off and dabbed away tears. The court heard details of some of the 43 injuries Yeates is alleged to have suffered as Tabak attacked and strangled her at her flat in Bristol. A pathologist said she must have been alive when some of the injuries were caused. The prosecution alleges Tabak abducted his 25-year-old neighbour after she returned home after an evening in the pub, and that he bundled her body into his car and left her on the side of a country road, Longwood Lane at Failand, three miles from the scene of the murder in Clifton. Yeates’s body was found by a dog walker, Daniel Birch, on Christmas morning, eight days later. In a statement read out to court, Birch said: “I saw a lump in the snow and what appeared to be a denim jeans pocket on the left-hand verge. I didn’t think about it straightaway and continued walking. After about 10 paces, my mind was saying: ‘That’s a body.’ ” Yeates was lying with her knees pointing towards a quarry wall. Birch remembered the top of Yeates’ white knickers and part of her bare back being exposed through the snow. Mr Justice Field told the jurors they would have to see images of the body “in the interests of justice” . Among the photographs shown were ones of Yeates lying in a foetal position on Longwood Lane, her body covered in snow and leaves. The prosecution alleges Tabak tried to throw the body over the quarry wall but then concealed it beneath a pile of leaves. Images also showed her body being lifted on to a stretcher so that it could be removed from the scene. More pictures of the body were taken at a nearby mortuary. Yeates was still in a foetal position, her pink top pulled up to just under her shoulders. Her grey bra was visible as was part of her left breast. At this point Tabak broke down in the dock, turning towards a female Dutch interpreter helping him with medical terms. Yeates’s nose was bloodstained and a red-tinged icicle hung from it. Her eyes were puffy and red and there was bruising on her forehead, behind her ear and under her eyelids. Her cheeks and neck were also bruised. She had an abrasion on her lip and red bruises on her chin. Her blond hair was bloodstained. Home Office pathologist Russell Delaney said some of the injuries must have been suffered while Yeates was alive. Delaney said: “Bruising only occurs when the heart is beating – so the injuries occurred during life.” Her jeans were in place and Delaney told the court there was no indication they had been tampered with. A picture of Yeates’ right foot with the sock missing was also shown to the jury. The prosecution has alleged that Tabak took the sock. The trial at Bristol crown court continues. Joanna Yeates Crime Bristol guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …The man accused of Yeates’s murder covers his face as jurors see pictures of her body and injuries The man accused of murdering the landscape architect Joanna Yeates broke down in tears as photographs of her bruised and bloodied body were shown at his trial on Friday. Vincent Tabak put his face in his hands and appeared to peer through his fingers when the graphic images were displayed on screens around the court, including one close to him in the dock. Tabak, 33, who has admitted manslaughter but denies murder, then took his glasses off and dabbed away tears. The court heard details of some of the 43 injuries Yeates is alleged to have suffered as Tabak attacked and strangled her at her flat in Bristol. A pathologist said she must have been alive when some of the injuries were caused. The prosecution alleges Tabak abducted his 25-year-old neighbour after she returned home after an evening in the pub, and that he bundled her body into his car and left her on the side of a country road, Longwood Lane at Failand, three miles from the scene of the murder in Clifton. Yeates’s body was found by a dog walker, Daniel Birch, on Christmas morning, eight days later. In a statement read out to court, Birch said: “I saw a lump in the snow and what appeared to be a denim jeans pocket on the left-hand verge. I didn’t think about it straightaway and continued walking. After about 10 paces, my mind was saying: ‘That’s a body.’ ” Yeates was lying with her knees pointing towards a quarry wall. Birch remembered the top of Yeates’ white knickers and part of her bare back being exposed through the snow. Mr Justice Field told the jurors they would have to see images of the body “in the interests of justice” . Among the photographs shown were ones of Yeates lying in a foetal position on Longwood Lane, her body covered in snow and leaves. The prosecution alleges Tabak tried to throw the body over the quarry wall but then concealed it beneath a pile of leaves. Images also showed her body being lifted on to a stretcher so that it could be removed from the scene. More pictures of the body were taken at a nearby mortuary. Yeates was still in a foetal position, her pink top pulled up to just under her shoulders. Her grey bra was visible as was part of her left breast. At this point Tabak broke down in the dock, turning towards a female Dutch interpreter helping him with medical terms. Yeates’s nose was bloodstained and a red-tinged icicle hung from it. Her eyes were puffy and red and there was bruising on her forehead, behind her ear and under her eyelids. Her cheeks and neck were also bruised. She had an abrasion on her lip and red bruises on her chin. Her blond hair was bloodstained. Home Office pathologist Russell Delaney said some of the injuries must have been suffered while Yeates was alive. Delaney said: “Bruising only occurs when the heart is beating – so the injuries occurred during life.” Her jeans were in place and Delaney told the court there was no indication they had been tampered with. A picture of Yeates’ right foot with the sock missing was also shown to the jury. The prosecution has alleged that Tabak took the sock. The trial at Bristol crown court continues. Joanna Yeates Crime Bristol guardian.co.uk
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Conservative minister apologises after being photographed binning papers but insists they contained nothing sensitive Oliver Letwin, a minister in the Cabinet Office, has apologised after being photographed dumping work-related documents in bins in a park close to Downing Street but insisted that none of the ditched papers contained classified information. David Cameron’s chief policy adviser gave the assurance after the revelations , backed by photographs of one piece of correspondence thrown away and of the minister putting papers in different bins, sparked concern about potential security risks as well as data protection breaches. On Friday morning, the office of the Information Commissioner said that it was launching an investigation into potential breaches of the Data Protection Act. The Daily Mirror reported that Letwin was seen on five separate days binning sensitive correspondence on terrorism, national security as well as constituents’ private details in the park near No 10. In all, the Mirror claimed that Letwin threw away more than 100 papers containing private information, including five intelligence and security committee letters. In one, MP Andrew Tyrie reportedly tells the ISC chairman, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the committee “failed to get to the truth on UK involvement in rendition”. Another discarded document refered to al-Qaida links to Pakistan, the newspaper claimed. Cameron, the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, and the chancellor, George Osborne, are all said to be mentioned in the dumped papers, as are organisations including the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office and the NHS. The paper described the Cabinet Office minister’s actions as a security breach, but a spokesman for Letwin insisted on Thursday evening that the papers were not of a sensitive nature. The newspaper reports triggered a letter from Labour MP and shadow minister without portfolio Michael Dugher to the cabinet secretary, Gus O’Donnell, calling on him to investigate the classification of any discarded documents and whether strict procedures for the disposal of government documents were breached. By late Friday morning, Downing Street confirmed that the Cabinet Office was looking into whether any sensitive material had been among the papers dumped. “Our understanding is that there were no classified documents,” a spokeswoman for No 10 said. “Most of the business Mr Letwin does in the park is constituency based. In the light of what has been reported, the Cabinet Office is looking into it.” Asked what the prime minister’s view was, she added: “Clearly, it’s not a sensible way to dispose of documents. Mr Letwin has agreed he will not dispose of documents in this way again.” The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, accused the minister of “treating important papers with contempt” and engaging in “very strange behaviour”. A fresh statement was issued by an aide to Letwin with an apology attached and the insistence that none of the information ditched had related to “official government business”. “Oliver Letwin is an incredibly hardworking constituency MP,” the spokesman said. “He does some of his parliamentary and constituency correspondence in the park before going to work in the morning and sometimes disposed of copies of letters there. These documents related to constituency and parliamentary rather than official government business, and did not contain any classified information. “Mr Letwin sincerely apologises to any concerned constituents and would like to make assurances that he will no longer dispose of copies of documents and constituency correspondence in this way.” Letwin, the MP for West Dorset, is an early riser who does a morning circuit of St James’s Park, usually starting at 5.30am. In this period he dictates letters for typing by his secretary during the day. The Labour backbencher Jeremy Corbyn told Radio 5 Live that while he enjoyed the “idea of ministers walking around the park in the morning”, carrying confidential documents was wrong. “It’s a remarkably silly thing to do,” the MP for Islington North said. “To then dump them all in a bin is really very stupid, because he could easily be spotted and followed and anybody could then pick them up.” A spokeswoman for the office of the Information Commissionersaid: “We are aware of the allegations and are making inquiries. Keeping personal data secure is a key principle of the Data Protection Act, and the ICO takes any breach of that principle very seriously.” Speaking in Leeds, Miliband said: “If it’s true that there were constituents who’d written to him and he was looking at constituency letters and they just ended up in the bin, I don’t think it’s the right way to act and the right way to treat people and people’s concerns. “I think he’ll have learnt his lesson, and I hope he does learn his lesson. I think most people would think, you’re dealing with sensitive correspondence, you should treat it in a sensitive way.” “There are plenty of ways of getting rid of sensitive documents. All the parliamentary papers are shredded and so are the ones in the House of Commons and presumably the ministry as well.” The revelations present a further headache for Cameron in a week during which Downing Street has been forced onto the back foot over the defence secretary, Liam Fox who was forced to resign on Friday. Zac Goldsmith, the Tory MP for Richmond, tweeted: “How is Oliver Letwin working in the park newsworthy?! Whoever in Labour has asked for (yet another) inquiry should be put to sleep.” Oliver Letwin Conservatives Hélène Mulholland Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Conservative minister apologises after being photographed binning papers but insists they contained nothing sensitive Oliver Letwin, a minister in the Cabinet Office, has apologised after being photographed dumping work-related documents in bins in a park close to Downing Street but insisted that none of the ditched papers contained classified information. David Cameron’s chief policy adviser gave the assurance after the revelations , backed by photographs of one piece of correspondence thrown away and of the minister putting papers in different bins, sparked concern about potential security risks as well as data protection breaches. On Friday morning, the office of the Information Commissioner said that it was launching an investigation into potential breaches of the Data Protection Act. The Daily Mirror reported that Letwin was seen on five separate days binning sensitive correspondence on terrorism, national security as well as constituents’ private details in the park near No 10. In all, the Mirror claimed that Letwin threw away more than 100 papers containing private information, including five intelligence and security committee letters. In one, MP Andrew Tyrie reportedly tells the ISC chairman, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the committee “failed to get to the truth on UK involvement in rendition”. Another discarded document refered to al-Qaida links to Pakistan, the newspaper claimed. Cameron, the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, and the chancellor, George Osborne, are all said to be mentioned in the dumped papers, as are organisations including the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office and the NHS. The paper described the Cabinet Office minister’s actions as a security breach, but a spokesman for Letwin insisted on Thursday evening that the papers were not of a sensitive nature. The newspaper reports triggered a letter from Labour MP and shadow minister without portfolio Michael Dugher to the cabinet secretary, Gus O’Donnell, calling on him to investigate the classification of any discarded documents and whether strict procedures for the disposal of government documents were breached. By late Friday morning, Downing Street confirmed that the Cabinet Office was looking into whether any sensitive material had been among the papers dumped. “Our understanding is that there were no classified documents,” a spokeswoman for No 10 said. “Most of the business Mr Letwin does in the park is constituency based. In the light of what has been reported, the Cabinet Office is looking into it.” Asked what the prime minister’s view was, she added: “Clearly, it’s not a sensible way to dispose of documents. Mr Letwin has agreed he will not dispose of documents in this way again.” The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, accused the minister of “treating important papers with contempt” and engaging in “very strange behaviour”. A fresh statement was issued by an aide to Letwin with an apology attached and the insistence that none of the information ditched had related to “official government business”. “Oliver Letwin is an incredibly hardworking constituency MP,” the spokesman said. “He does some of his parliamentary and constituency correspondence in the park before going to work in the morning and sometimes disposed of copies of letters there. These documents related to constituency and parliamentary rather than official government business, and did not contain any classified information. “Mr Letwin sincerely apologises to any concerned constituents and would like to make assurances that he will no longer dispose of copies of documents and constituency correspondence in this way.” Letwin, the MP for West Dorset, is an early riser who does a morning circuit of St James’s Park, usually starting at 5.30am. In this period he dictates letters for typing by his secretary during the day. The Labour backbencher Jeremy Corbyn told Radio 5 Live that while he enjoyed the “idea of ministers walking around the park in the morning”, carrying confidential documents was wrong. “It’s a remarkably silly thing to do,” the MP for Islington North said. “To then dump them all in a bin is really very stupid, because he could easily be spotted and followed and anybody could then pick them up.” A spokeswoman for the office of the Information Commissionersaid: “We are aware of the allegations and are making inquiries. Keeping personal data secure is a key principle of the Data Protection Act, and the ICO takes any breach of that principle very seriously.” Speaking in Leeds, Miliband said: “If it’s true that there were constituents who’d written to him and he was looking at constituency letters and they just ended up in the bin, I don’t think it’s the right way to act and the right way to treat people and people’s concerns. “I think he’ll have learnt his lesson, and I hope he does learn his lesson. I think most people would think, you’re dealing with sensitive correspondence, you should treat it in a sensitive way.” “There are plenty of ways of getting rid of sensitive documents. All the parliamentary papers are shredded and so are the ones in the House of Commons and presumably the ministry as well.” The revelations present a further headache for Cameron in a week during which Downing Street has been forced onto the back foot over the defence secretary, Liam Fox who was forced to resign on Friday. Zac Goldsmith, the Tory MP for Richmond, tweeted: “How is Oliver Letwin working in the park newsworthy?! Whoever in Labour has asked for (yet another) inquiry should be put to sleep.” Oliver Letwin Conservatives Hélène Mulholland Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
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• Defence secretary steps down over links to controversial unofficial adviser Adam Werrity • How the Guardian broke the story 4.32pm: Here is the full text of David Cameron’s letter to Liam Fox. Like Fox, Cameron (left) focuses on his work as defence secretary, especially in Libya and in reforming the finances of the Ministry of Defence. Dear Liam, Thank you for your letter. I understand your reasons for deciding to resign as defence secretary, although I am very sorry to see you go. We have worked closely for these last six years, and you have been a key member of my team throughout that time. You have done a superb job in the 17 months since the election, and as shadow defence secretary before that. You have overseen fundamental changes in the Ministry of Defence and in our armed forces, which will ensure that they are fully equipped to meet the challenges of the modern era. On Libya, you played a key role in the campaign to stop people being massacred by the Gaddafi regime and instead win their freedom. You can be proud of the difference you have made in your time in office, and in helping our party to return to government. I appreciate your commitment to the work of this government, particularly highlighting the need to tackle the deficit, and the relationship between Britain’s economic strength and our national security. You and Jesme have always been good friends, and I have truly valued your support over the years. I will continue to do so in the future. Yours ever, David. Jesme is Fox’s wife, Jesme Baird. 4.23pm: The resignation letter goes into very little detail about his links with Adam Werrity or the allegation that he was in effect running a shadow foreign policy regarding Sri Lanka . He says only that he “mistakenly” allowed the distinction between “my personal interest and my government activities” to become blurred, and that the “consequences” of this have become clearer. David Cameron has said he is very sorry Fox has resigned but “I understand your reasons”. Fox’s was a tricky case to handle for Cameron. The prime minister will not have wanted to alienate his own right wing by being seen to abandon one of their most high-profile standard bearers. Fox was a leadership rival of Cameron’s in 2005 and may have seen himself as a replacement for Cameron one day. In that sense he may be more dangerous for Cameron on the backbenches, where he may become a focus for internal Tory opposition to the prime minister. My colleague Allegra Stratton has written about Fox’s resignation here . She points out that Fox is the first Tory to be forced out of the coalition, and the resignation will trigger the prime minister’s first reshuffle, “an operation he had wanted to hold out doing until half way through the parliament”. It is expected Cameron will perform a limited reshuffle, Allegra writes, merely replacing Fox without going reorganising his entire government line-up. Fox is said to have crumpled under the weight of this week’s revelations and the prospect of another weekend of speculation He could not hold out until the inquiry into his behaviour wound up officially – expected to be at some point next week. The prime minister had always held out the right to exercise his own judgment and keep Fox in his post even if O’Donnell’s report had been critical, but the defence secretary decided to short-circuit the process and limit the personal and political damage. It is understood that Werritty’s appearance before Sir Gus O’Donnell – the man performing the inquiry to establish the propriety of his work – did not impress the cabinet secretary. 4.21pm: Here is Liam Fox’s letter of resignation to the prime minister in full: Dear David, As you know, I have always placed a great deal of importance on accountability and responsibility. As I said in the House of Commons on Monday, I mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred. The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days. I am very sorry for this. I have also repeatedly said that the national interest must always come before personal interest. I now have to hold myself to my own standard. I have therefore decided, with great sadness, to resign from my post as secretary of state for defence — a position which I have been immensely proud and honoured to have held. I am particularly proud to have overseen the long overdue reforms to the Ministry of Defence and to our armed forces, which will shape them to meet the challenges of the future and keep this country safe. I am proud also to have played a part in helping to liberate the people of Libya, and I regret that I will not see through to its conclusion Britain’s role in Afghanistan, where so much progress has been made. Above all, I am honoured and humbled to have worked with the superb men and women in our armed forces. Their bravery, dedication and professionalism are second to none. I appreciate all the support you have given me – and will continue to support the vital work of this government, above all in controlling the enormous budget deficit we inherited, which is a threat not just to this country’s economic prosperity but also to its national security. I look forward to continuing to represent my constituents in North Somerset. Yours ever, Liam 4.19pm: Tory MP Peter Bone says “it’s typical of Liam to put the country first” in resigning. “I think it was largely a media-driven [story]. I didn’t see the hanging offence, I’m afraid,” says Bone. Here is a bit more detail from Fox’s statement: I mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred. The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days and I’m sorry for this. 4.14pm: This is the second forced resignation since the coalition was formed. The first was the Lib Dem David Laws, who stepped down soon after becoming chief secretary to the Treasury over his expenses. You can see all of the Guardian’s coverage of the Liam Fox story since June here . 4.12pm: The defence secretary, Liam Fox, has resigned after increasing pressure over his links to his unofficial adviser and best man, Adam Werrity. His office has just confirmed the news. In his resignation statement, Fox said he “mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred”. 4.10pm: The defence secretary, Liam Fox, has resigned. More details soon … How the Guardian broke the story The Guardian’s Rupert Neate broke this story in June and has led the way in uncovering new developments. Here’s how the story unfolded: 27 June 2011 Government weighs into ‘blackmail’ row over 3M and MRSA test 13 July 2011 US firm 3M could summon Liam Fox to give evidence in blackmail case 7 August 2011 Liam Fox forced into U-turn over legal spat with US multinational 3M 18 August 2011 Liam Fox’s friend set up crucial legal meeting 29 August 2011 Liam Fox under fresh pressure over adviser 4 October 2011 Liam Fox faces questions for allowing former flatmate access to MoD 5 October 2011 Charity created by Liam Fox axed after watchdog issues criticism 7 October 2011 Liam Fox was joined by former flatmate on official visit to Sri Lanka Liam Fox had already been warned over Adam Werritty links Liam Fox, his adviser, and an irregular meeting in Dubai ‘Adviser’ Adam Werritty ran charity from Liam Fox’s office 8 October 2011 Businessman met Fox’s friend two months before ‘chance’ Dubai meeting Emails and video footage pile pressure on beleaguered Liam Fox 10 October 2011 Revealed: how lobbyists were paid to facilitate meeting with Liam Fox Werritty remains silent as spotlight falls on his earning and business dealings 11 October 2011 Liam Fox battles to save career as PM gives only conditional support Liam Fox row: Adam Werritty to be quizzed over sources of income 12 October 2011 Liam Fox furious as friends brief against Werritty 13 October 2011 Liam Fox took five MPs to Washington with donor’s money Labour questions £170,000 cost of Liam Fox’s official advisers Liam Fox faces fresh questions on Sri Lanka links Fox and Werritty joined stag party during taxpayer-funded trip to Dubai 14 October 2011 Rightwing Tories rally to Liam Fox’s side Liam Fox and Adam Werritty links Liam Fox Paul Owen guardian.co.uk
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