Pressure is mounting on Boris Johnson and David Cameron over the phone hacking scandal tonight, following the resignations of the Metropolitan Police's top two.
Pressure is mounting on Boris Johnson and David Cameron over the phone hacking scandal tonight, with people asking how it’s the case the Met’s top two police officers have lost their jobs yet the country’s two leading Tory politicians – and hack-deniers – remain in place, unrepentant, unapologetic, and under fire from their own side.
Senior Labour figures today came as close as they could to calling for the prime minister to consider his position without calling on him to resign – with the London Mayor similarly under attack for his own failure to take phone hacking seriously.
Onto Mr Cameron shortly, but first to Mr Johnson, who, let it be recalled, only last year said (pp 22-25, pdf) of the phone hacking scandal:
“I am completely satisfied [with the Met’s handling of the allegations].”
“[Labour are raising this] simply in order to score party political points against the prime minister’s press spokesman.”
“I think it looks like a politically motivated put up job.”
“This is completely spurious and political.”
“You are trying to make a song and dance about nothing in my view.”
“This is a load of codswallop cooked up by the Labour Party.”
“As far as I can see, this is something that has been already substantially investigated, where no new and interesting facts have been brought into the public domain and which is being whipped up by the Guardian and the Labour Party.”
“I have every confidence that the police will come to the right conclusion.”
The Mayor held a hastily-convened press conference at City Hall this afternoon, in which he was repeatedly challenged by journalists over his past comments, to which he appeared, for once, lost for words. Humiliated, he admitted he had “misunderstood the severity of the allegations”, and that “it became obvious the scandal was far worse than previously indicated”.
His belated contrition, however, isn’t washing.
His predecessor, and challenger for the Mayoralty next year, Ken Livingstone, told BBC News 24:
“I wasn’t Mayor when it blew up it blew up in 2009 when the guardian exposed the scale of it… They’ve both gone [Yates and Stephenson]; the politicians remain… He [Boris] said it was a load of old codswallop…
“Even after the news that Milly Dowler’s phone had been hacked he was defending them and called for Rebekah Brooks to stay… It looks like this is a coalition between the Conservative Party and News International.”
For Mr Cameron, meanwhile, the pressure rises with each day, each hour – under attack from his own MPs for going to Africa in the middle of the crisis and under fire from the Opposition, with Ed Miliband again demanding to be told who knew what and when over Andy Coulson’s dodgy past, and calling once again on the prime minister once to apologise for bringing such an individual into Downing Street.
While in a devastating editorial, the normally loyal Daily Telegraph today says:
“Far from easing the pressure on David Cameron, Sir Paul’s departure increases it. For nearly a fortnight now, Downing Street has had to have information dragged from it about the closeness of the Prime Minister’s relationship with News International and, in particular, Rebekah Brooks, who became the latest News International executive to be arrested yesterday.
“Ever since Mr Cameron made the fatal error of appointing Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor, as his press spokesman, the waters of this murky affair have been lapping at his feet. They show no sign of receding. If anything, they are rising.”
This evening, Labour figures, in Parliament to the media are asking why different rules apply to the prime minister than the head of the Met, who in his resignation statement last night, pointedly said:
“Unlike Mr Coulson, Mr Wallis had not resigned from the News of the World or, to the best of my knowledge, been in any way associated with the original phone hacking investigation.”
Quite.
Mr Cameron’s brand as a competent politician of sound judgment has been seriously undermined by this episode; if it emerges he knew more than he is letting on, it would be very serious for him indeed.
Left Foot Forward will have further coverage of the phone hacking scandal tomorrow – including Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks’s appearances before the culture, media and sport select committee.
49 Responses to “Yates and Stephenson resign; Boris and Cameron remain – for now”
Leon Wolfson
Excuses from the guy who thinks stomping faces is cute.
FACT1: The Tories argued for LESS regulation. Which would of made things worse.
FACT2: Before the financial crisis, the UK was in a shitload better state than Major left it.
FACT 3: Yes, you. The 10p tax removal was a minor blip compared to what the Tories have already done, and that’s a fraction of what they’re yet to do.
This is reality, not your daydreams. Not that you’ll read my post, as usual. Oh, and I’m perfectly healthy. There’s nothing which can be done for you though, political stupidity isn’t treatable.
Anon E Mouse
Leon Wolfson – The New Labour lickspittle is back lying in public forums. I’m never violent. Ever. Don’t believe in it. You however are clearly delusional. Why would the BNP attack a white man? See a doctor now I say.
FACT 1 – Labour with it’s massive commons majority brought in the deregulation. You don’t know if the Tories would have made it worse because it never happened.
FACT 2 – The UK ran the largest deficit under the LABOUR government in this country’s history. The worst chancellor in British history sold the gold off at a historic low, his golden rules were a crock and he took the 10p tax from the poorest in society whilst rewarding the rich by doubling Inheritance Tax.
FACT 3 – A minor blip which made the poorest people in this country poorer – ask the poor if it was a minor blip as Brown was “relaxed” to see the rich get filthy rich.
That is reality and from your silly nonsense about ambushes it is clear you need help. I don’t know what a “screamer” in your pocket is but at least no one reading this will have to worry about the health of your wife since it is unlikely you’re married.
Watch for the monsters in the shadows Leon Wolfson….
THEY’RE BEHIND YOU WOLFY!!! MWUHAHAHA!!!
Leon Wolfson
Yes, very funny. Let me restate, your type have in fact attacked me twice in the street. I’m sure you’d find a third attempt utterly hilarious. That kind of thuggery is entirely typical.
Fact 1 – They called for it. You can talk out your ass all you like, the fact remains is that was Tory policy.
Fact 2 – Only because of the bank crash. See 1.
Fact 3 – No, in fact it didn’t did it? Because he changed the rules to ensure it didn’t. No, the 10p tax abolition – ignoring the fact that (and it was a mistake) he brought it in in the first place – is also a VERY MINOR blip compared to the repeated major cuts which the Tories are inflicting on the poor. It’s pure and utter propaganda of the self-serving sort to try and paint some kind of picture as anything but your utter hatred of the poor and disabled. Want to murder them all too, like all the non-whities?
I’m quite sure you want to “help” me with a lead pipe. It’s been tried. And of course you have no idea about personal alarms, it’s too sophisticated for your kind of thug.
Anon E Mouse
Leon Wolfson – The New Labour suckass resorts to Strawman. How typical. Next you’ll be saying there are WMD in Iraq and smearing David Kelly.
Oh so now you were attacked eh instead of being “ambushed”? And despite not knowing what colour I am you previously claimed to be white yourself.
Why would the BNP attack a white man? Are you sure you hadn’t been smoking something Leon Wolfson?
What did the police say when you reported this “ambush” or was your “mission” so secret you couldn’t divulge the assault?
FACT 1 – The tories were in opposition – end of. You’re wrong. And are you now saying the Labour Party with a huge commons majority was so weak it couldn’t form it’s own economic policy? Spin spin and spin again. Labour, the party of big business, was the government that rewarded the bankers and crushed the poor.
FACT 2 – I haven’t mentioned the bank crash only the structural deficit which increased massively under the Labour government with it’s PFI and other money wasting schemes to reward the “boys”.
FACT 3 – Brown had to revise his policy because of pressure from real Labour MP’s and the house but since he was going the increase NI with his “Jobs Tax” it was going to be cancelled out. So far this coalition has not even started the cuts. It’s all hype and waffle from the New Labour fanboys like yourself who voted for Gordon Brown.
FACT 4 – The level of inequality, the gap between the rich and poor went up in this country under Labour or are you now rewriting history over that as well?
I have explained before I am not a violent man and I think this must be all part of your delusion. Anyone who can vote for New Labour then claim that they don’t support the very party they voted for certainly has issues.
Anyway take care Leon Wolfson and remember not to step on the cracks in the paving slabs….
THEY’RE BEHIND YOU WOLFY!!! MWUHAHAHA!!! Couldn’t resist that. Sorry. hehehehe
Leon Wolfson
Of course you can’t resist, BNP activists rarely can hold back from spouting threats. I’m Jewish, Mr. Mouse. And the police successfully prosecuted the offenders both times, of course.
Fact 1 – So, you’re saying that what a party says when it’s in opposition has no bearing on anything, and they’re free to change what they like when they come to power, including re-writing history?
Oh wait, stupid question, of course you’re saying that. Back in the real world, the Tories did indeed call for even less regulation.
Fact 2 – Of course you’re trying to avoid talking about the fact that the bank crash meant spending had to be vastly increased, given the Tory policy which would have required even more spending in the same situation.
Fact 3 – And so? It was revised. Even if it had gone ahead, again, it’s a blip compared to the current Tory policy. Only a petty and vengeful individual would focus on one incident which had minimal rather than the actual, massive cuts going on.
The cuts are well under way, are their front-loaded nature means proper accommodation can’t be made for them without mass job losses. There are better ways to handle cuts even of this nature, like back-loading them to ensure natural wastage handles as many job cuts as possible, and has a far lesser impact, but we can’t have that now can we, gotta HULK SMASH the economy. Petty, vengeful and spiteful, for that matter.
Fact 4 – You assume I like Labour. No, I do not, except Tom Watson MP. However, they are less bad than the Tories. Also, there was massive progress made on Child Poverty, which is now systematically being rolled back by the Tories.
Go you, got any more bile to spit at civilised humans?