What will be the outcome of the Leveson Inquiry?

What a Hunt!

Number 10 tried to rewrite the resignation statement of Jeremy Hunt's former special adviser using language that would have implied that the 30-year-old official had strayed beyond his remit in communicating with News Corporation about its BSkyB takeover bid. Adam Smith told the Leveson inquiry on Friday that he objected to a last-minute rewrite to his resignation letter, which had been proposed by the office of cabinet secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood. He successfully insisted that it be removed.
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The special adviser also revealed that he had initially been told by Hunt, the culture secretary, that "it won't come" to his resignation on 24 April, immediately after it emerged in evidence submitted to the Leveson inquiry that he had been in regular contact with the News Corp lobbyist Frédéric Michel during the company's bid for BSkyB. However, the following day Smith arrived at work only to be told by the culture secretary that "everybody here thinks you need to go". The special adviser – who had previously been praised for his work – was handed a draft resignation letter to sign.
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Smith then went for a drink with colleagues, where the mood was "very pressured and one of the most stressful days that I'd certainly had to deal with". Overnight, however, pressure on Smith mounted – and when he arrived the next day Hunt made it clear that he would have to quit.
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Beggars belief :eek:

To give credit to Cameron, at least he is defending his underling but the Culture Secretary (there's a laugh) must go, he sounds a complete Hunt.
 
BLAIR - LEVESON - IRAQ - MURDOCH

Blair is going to appear at the Leveson inquiry today (Monday). This will give him a chance to refute Mandelson's claim that Blair and Brown got closer to the Dirty Digger than was sensible - e.g. by flying half way round the world in 1995 to beg News Corp to give New Labour their support and by secretly attending the baptism in the River Jordan of the tax-dodging geriatric's daughter Grace, while dressed in a white sheet :D

Most interesting of all will be the lengths to which Blair went in order to get News Corp to back the illegal invasion of Iraq and subsequently to keep quiet about the lack of any signs of WMD.

Vince Cable on Wednesday & Hunt on Thursday . . . gonna be a good week!
 
Ahleckz said:
This exactly. Mountain out of a molehill springs to mind.
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not really a mole hill. government (past and present) corruption, media breaking laws and police being paid off. i would say pretty big.

if a guy can get 4 years for stealing trainers in a riot then this lot should all get more. they wont. unfortunately. it will be put on a few scapegoats and the higher up people will all be fine, as usual.
 
Showboat said:
Guy just bust in to the enquiry and accused Tony Blair of war crimes, well funny :)

"Arrest that man" ;) Good lad!
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The protester shouted: "Excuse me. This man should be arrested for war crimes. JP Morgan paid him off for the Iraq war three months after we invaded Iraq. Then held up the Iraq bank for £20m. He was then paid $6m every year, and still is, by JP Morgan, six months after he left office The man is a war criminal."

Blair, who sat impassively throughout the intrusion, sounded slightly shaken as he said: "Can I just say, actually, on the record: what he said about Iraq and JP Morgan is completely and totally untrue. I've never had a conversation about that [Iraq]."
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At least Blair didn't try to pretend that he isn't a war criminal ;)
 
Tom Watson said:
During the Leveson inquiry today, Robert Jay asked Tony Blair whether he had received emails from Rebekah Brooks suggesting that she exact some form of retribution for my resignation in 2006. He dismissed the claim.

This puts me in a difficult position because the person who told me does not want their name to be made public, but given Mr Blair's outright dismissal of the claim, I feel I have to give further comment.

I was told by a former cabinet minister, a victim of hacking, just over two weeks ago that evidence to prove my claim exists and is held by Operation Weeting. The former Secretary of State, who is considered very close to Tony Blair, told me there is evidence to show Rebekah Brooks made the offer to exact retribution for the resignation. The minister said that the evidence shows that Tony Blair did not reject the offer. This of course was his choice, but it was a choice – one given to him by Brooks.

The evidence about the text messages from Rebekah Brooks regarded a person close to Tony Blair's successor, Gordon Brown. I know who this person is but choose to protect their privacy. The text messages existed last time I checked though.

I think it probably best that I say no more on this matter. It's better we all move on.
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I disagree. I can quite understand that Tom watson wants to forget about the damage that Blair did to the Labour party but if Blair misled the Leveson inquiry and proof of that exists, I believe that it should be produced.


I wonder who this "former Secretary of State, who is considered very close to Tony Blair and "a person close to Tony Blair's successor" :confused:

Straw, Prescott . . . I think we should be told - as I am sure we will be before too long ;)


Frankly, St. Tony was given far too easy a ride :(
 
Well, at least it keeps them off the streets and gives the news channels something to talk about. Keeps them off the streets as well I guess.
 
stockhausen said:
I disagree. I can quite understand that Tom watson wants to forget about the damage that Blair did to the Labour party but if Blair misled the Leveson inquiry and proof of that exists, I believe that it should be produced.


I wonder who this "former Secretary of State, who is considered very close to Tony Blair and "a person close to Tony Blair's successor" :confused:

Straw, Prescott . . . I think we should be told - as I am sure we will be before too long ;)


Frankly, St. Tony was given far too easy a ride :(
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I agree, and find it strange that Watson, who has been so vocal at spreading rumours and the like suddenly finds an ability to wait for clarification when it is labour, rather than the Tories, under these spotlight....
 
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