Harman: Police must investigate phone-hacking allegations
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman said today that the police must investigate allegations of phone-hacking by journalists, amid reports that Gordon Brown may have been among the victims.
Mr Brown was said to have written at least one letter to the Metropolitan Police over concerns that his mobile phone was being targeted while he was chancellor of the exchequer, according to the Independent on Sunday.
Mr Coulson announced on Friday that he was resigning as David Cameron's director of communications amid continuing allegations of phone hacking by the paper's journalists while he was in charge.
Mr Brown's office declined to comment on suggestions that the former prime minister had raised the matter with the police, but Ms Harman said that it was important that all allegations were properly investigated.
"Hacking into people's phones is illegal. Obviously the criminal law has got to be complied with and if it is broken then it should be investigated by the police and it should be enforced," she told Sky News's Murnaghan programme.
"Nobody is above the law, no newspaper editor, no journalist."
Earlier, Tony Blair's former communications director Alastair Campbell denounced the "lacklustre" way in which the police had investigated the phone hacking allegations as a "scandal".
"When you compare and contrast the way the police pursued Tony Blair on the so-called cash-for-honours nonsense and the lacklustre way in which they have handled this, then there is a very, very big difference," he told Sky News.
"There must be reasons behind that which will, I think, become part of an unfolding scandal."
A meanwhile a media lawyer has claimed that the phone-hacking allegations were not just confined to one newspaper.
Mark Lewis, who acted for Gordon Taylor of the Professional Footballers' Association in a damages claim against the News of the World, said he was representing four people who believe they were targeted by other newspapers.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments