Ed Miliband today made four demands in a press conference, sharpening his attacks on News International and David Cameron.

Highlights
- Asked Cameron to come clean about whether No. 10 had any “relevant documents” regarding the scandal,

- Called for a judge-led inquiry to be established quickly so that important documents could not be shredded by guilty parties.

- Said press self-regulation had to improve and laid out some important pre-requisites, including prominence of apologies, before such a system would be seen as credible.

But it was in the questions after the press conference he dropped the big bomb:

- He said Rupert Murdoch should call off the BSkyB bid in its entirety, going further than he has before.

- He also called for Rupert Murdoch to apologise to the victims of phone-hacking.

His short speech today said:

Six days since the revelations about the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone, we have seen dramatic events like the closure of the News of the World and further arrests.

Above all, we know the people in our country want to see real change to ensure these abuses by parts of the press never happen again.

The task of political leaders now is to have a clear focus on what matters, and the decisions required to usher in the change we need.

So what do we need to do?

First, on the judge-led inquiry. We need to make sure that it is set up immediately. Any less means there is a risk that evidence will be destroyed.

As soon as an inquiry is established, tampering or destruction of any documents becomes a criminal offence.

And that includes any relevant documents in No10 Downing Street and Conservative HQ.

The inquiry should be set up under the Inquiries Act so it can compel witnesses to attend.

And the inquiry must have the right terms of reference covering all the key issues including the culture and practices of the newspaper industry and the relationship between the police and certain newspapers.

Neither of these appears to be in the Prime Minister’s current terms of reference. And I’m determined to put that right.

If the investigation does not get to these issues, like the alleged paying of police officers for information or the culture of the industry, we cannot be sure we get the change we need.

Put simply, the Government is dragging its feet and is still showing it does not understand the gravity of this scandal and the scale of public concern.

David Cameron needs to get a move on.

Second, on BSkyB. Last Wednesday the Prime Minister at Prime Minister’s Questions told me a referral to the Competition Commission was not the right way forward.

On Friday, he continued to express belief in that process.

Yesterday I made clear that we would force a vote in the House of Commons this Wednesday because I did not believe that the Culture Secretary could proceed with the current process which relies on assurances from News Corporation.

I do not believe he should be relying on assurances from News Corporation given recent developments.

The head of the PCC says she was lied to by News International.

James Murdoch has admitted serious wrongdoing at News International.

And there are now allegations that News International knew that phone hacking was widespread as long ago as 2007.

The Government, having repeatedly said there was no alternative to their flawed process, now appears to be moving towards my position.

They are doing it not because they want to, but because they have been forced to.

Let me be clear: this chaos and confusion in government is all of their own making.

They should never have embarked on this sort of process.

It is important to remember the original recommendation from Ofcom was for a referral to the Competition Commission. We supported that

But Mr Hunt ignored that advice.

Whatever the twists and turns of the government, I will accept nothing less than some straight talking that this bid will not proceed until after the criminal investigation is complete.

Third, I do believe that we can move forward with reform of the system of self-regulation.

It is important at a time like this that we do not rush to statutory regulation of the press.

That is why I said on Friday that my instincts remain to continue with self-regulation.

But it must be on a different basis from the past in three particular respects:

Greater independence of the Board from current editors.

Clear investigatory powers to ensure effective scrutiny.

And the ability to enforce corrections of suitable prominence.

It is in the interests of the vast majority of decent people in the newspaper industry that editors and proprietors take the initiative to lead this response.

Fourth, it is imperative that David Cameron now comes clean on the increasing number of questions surrounding his appointment of Andy Coulson.

On Friday at his press conference, David Cameron said and I quote “no one gave me any specific information” which might have dissuaded him from appointing Andy Coulson.

Yet the Guardian newspaper says it had discussions with Steve Hilton, his senior aide, detailing the facts about Andy Coulson’s decision to rehire Jonathan Rees, a convicted criminal.

According to The Guardian, these included the fact that Rees had been jailed for seven years for a criminal conspiracy, after which he had been rehired by Coulson’s News of the World.

And the fact that Rees’s illegal activities on behalf of the News of the World included making payments to police.

This information was passed by Steve Hilton to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Ed Llewellyn.

You cannot get more specific information than this.

The Prime Minister must now explain.

Did Ed Llewellyn tell him about this evidence and did he ignore it?

Or did Mr Llewellyn fail to tell him about this?

Either people have been misled about what Mr Cameron knew or Mr Llewellyn has completely failed in his duties.

Mr Cameron must now answer these and other questions including the warnings he apparently received from Paddy Ashdown and Nick Clegg.

Unless he can explain what happened with Mr Coulson and apologise for his terrible error in appointing him, his reputation and that of his government will be permanently tarnished.

I say this finally: The Prime Minister made an important statement at a press conference on Friday.

It is duty to also come to the House of Commons and explain himself.

People expect him to start showing the leadership on this issue that has been so completely lacking so far.

Reader comments

1. Liberal Conspiracy

   Ed M sharpens attack on Cameron with four demands http://bit.ly/ptz6tS

2. DemocracyFail

   Ed M sharpens attack on Cameron with four demands http://bit.ly/ptz6tS

3. A Sanguinarius

   Ed M sharpens attack on Cameron with four demands | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/imUHboS via @libcon

4. sunny hundal

   Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

5. Nicola Chan

   Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

6. Sam Ambreen

   Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

7. Jonathan Lintern

   Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

8. Owen Jones

   Ed Miliband declares all-out war on the Murdoch empire and piles pressure on Cameron http://t.co/cazzlAa More of this, Ed

9. Alex

   Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

10. Christine Burns

    Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

11. Andy Malt

    Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

12. Chris Jenkinson

    http://t.co/hxldoyM < Ed Miliband agrees with Nick.

13. DJs Han and Beav

    Ed Miliband declares all-out war on the Murdoch empire and piles pressure on Cameron http://t.co/cazzlAa More of this, Ed

14. Deborah Segalini

    Perfect speech on all fronts: MT @sunny_hundal Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

15. Marshajane Thompson

    RT @OwenJones84: Ed Miliband declares all-out war on the Murdoch empire and piles pressure on Cameron http://t.co/cazzlAa More of this, Ed

16. Thomas Griffiths

    Ed Miliband declares all-out war on the Murdoch empire and piles pressure on Cameron http://t.co/cazzlAa More of this, Ed

17. Gemma Tumelty

    Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

18. Joe Jordan

    http://t.co/hxldoyM < Ed Miliband agrees with Nick.

19. Kieron Merrett

    RT @OwenJones84: Ed Miliband declares all-out war on the Murdoch empire and piles pressure on Cameron http://t.co/cazzlAa More of this, Ed

20. Erik Andersson

    Ed Miliband declares all-out war on the Murdoch empire and piles pressure on Cameron http://t.co/cazzlAa More of this, Ed

21. Jafa Weegie

    Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

22. Scott Andrews

    Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

23. Anne Schulthess

    MT @sunny_hundal: Ed Miliband drops bombshell: calls for #Murdoch to drop #BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://bit.ly/ptz6tS

24. Matthew Doye

    RT @chrisjenkinson: http://bit.ly/ptz6tS < Ed Miliband agrees with Nick. // #edagreeswithnick

25. Kate Sheill

    Way to go Ed > RT @sunny_hundal: Ed Miliband calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

26. cathredfern

    Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

27. Murdoch's Scum Credentials All In Order I See - Page 14 - The Liverpool Way

    [...] Ed M drops bomb: ‘call off BSkyB bid’ Ed Miliband today made four demands in a press conference, sharpening his attacks on News International and David Cameron. Highlights – Asked Cameron to come clean about whether No. 10 had any “relevant documents” regarding the scandal, – Called for a judge-led inquiry to be established quickly so that important documents could not be shredded by guilty parties. – Said press self-regulation had to improve and laid out some important pre-requisites, including prominence of apologies, before such a system would be seen as credible. But it was in the questions after the press conference he dropped the big bomb: – He said Rupert Murdoch should call off the BSkyB bid in its entirety, going further than he has before. – He also called for Rupert Murdoch to apologise to the victims of phone-hacking. His short speech today said: Six days since the revelations about the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone, we have seen dramatic events like the closure of the News of the World and further arrests. Above all, we know the people in our country want to see real change to ensure these abuses by parts of the press never happen again. The task of political leaders now is to have a clear focus on what matters, and the decisions required to usher in the change we need. So what do we need to do? First, on the judge-led inquiry. We need to make sure that it is set up immediately. Any less means there is a risk that evidence will be destroyed. As soon as an inquiry is established, tampering or destruction of any documents becomes a criminal offence. And that includes any relevant documents in No10 Downing Street and Conservative HQ. The inquiry should be set up under the Inquiries Act so it can compel witnesses to attend. And the inquiry must have the right terms of reference covering all the key issues including the culture and practices of the newspaper industry and the relationship between the police and certain newspapers. Neither of these appears to be in the Prime Minister’s current terms of reference. And I’m determined to put that right. If the investigation does not get to these issues, like the alleged paying of police officers for information or the culture of the industry, we cannot be sure we get the change we need. Put simply, the Government is dragging its feet and is still showing it does not understand the gravity of this scandal and the scale of public concern. David Cameron needs to get a move on. Second, on BSkyB. Last Wednesday the Prime Minister at Prime Minister’s Questions told me a referral to the Competition Commission was not the right way forward. On Friday, he continued to express belief in that process. Yesterday I made clear that we would force a vote in the House of Commons this Wednesday because I did not believe that the Culture Secretary could proceed with the current process which relies on assurances from News Corporation. I do not believe he should be relying on assurances from News Corporation given recent developments. The head of the PCC says she was lied to by News International. James Murdoch has admitted serious wrongdoing at News International. And there are now allegations that News International knew that phone hacking was widespread as long ago as 2007. The Government, having repeatedly said there was no alternative to their flawed process, now appears to be moving towards my position. They are doing it not because they want to, but because they have been forced to. Let me be clear: this chaos and confusion in government is all of their own making. They should never have embarked on this sort of process. It is important to remember the original recommendation from Ofcom was for a referral to the Competition Commission. We supported that But Mr Hunt ignored that advice. Whatever the twists and turns of the government, I will accept nothing less than some straight talking that this bid will not proceed until after the criminal investigation is complete. Third, I do believe that we can move forward with reform of the system of self-regulation. It is important at a time like this that we do not rush to statutory regulation of the press. That is why I said on Friday that my instincts remain to continue with self-regulation. But it must be on a different basis from the past in three particular respects: Greater independence of the Board from current editors. Clear investigatory powers to ensure effective scrutiny. And the ability to enforce corrections of suitable prominence. It is in the interests of the vast majority of decent people in the newspaper industry that editors and proprietors take the initiative to lead this response. Fourth, it is imperative that David Cameron now comes clean on the increasing number of questions surrounding his appointment of Andy Coulson. On Friday at his press conference, David Cameron said and I quote “no one gave me any specific information” which might have dissuaded him from appointing Andy Coulson. Yet the Guardian newspaper says it had discussions with Steve Hilton, his senior aide, detailing the facts about Andy Coulson’s decision to rehire Jonathan Rees, a convicted criminal. According to The Guardian, these included the fact that Rees had been jailed for seven years for a criminal conspiracy, after which he had been rehired by Coulson’s News of the World. And the fact that Rees’s illegal activities on behalf of the News of the World included making payments to police. This information was passed by Steve Hilton to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Ed Llewellyn. You cannot get more specific information than this. The Prime Minister must now explain. Did Ed Llewellyn tell him about this evidence and did he ignore it? Or did Mr Llewellyn fail to tell him about this? Either people have been misled about what Mr Cameron knew or Mr Llewellyn has completely failed in his duties. Mr Cameron must now answer these and other questions including the warnings he apparently received from Paddy Ashdown and Nick Clegg. Unless he can explain what happened with Mr Coulson and apologise for his terrible error in appointing him, his reputation and that of his government will be permanently tarnished. I say this finally: The Prime Minister made an important statement at a press conference on Friday. It is duty to also come to the House of Commons and explain himself. People expect him to start showing the leadership on this issue that has been so completely lacking so far. Ed M drops bomb: ‘call off BSkyB bid’ | Liberal Conspiracy [...]

28. Keltik

    Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

29. Sue Mitchell

    Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

30. Butter Not Guns

    MT @sunny_hundal: Ed Miliband drops bombshell: calls for #Murdoch to drop #BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://bit.ly/ptz6tS

31. jaqi

    Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

32. Owen Blacker

    Ed Miliband declares all-out war on the Murdoch empire and piles pressure on Cameron http://t.co/cazzlAa More of this, Ed

33. Sarah Graham

    Ed Miliband drops bombshell at press conference: calls for Murdoch to drop BSkyB bid entirely and to apologise. Speech: http://t.co/SuUydyT

34. Richard Morris

    http://t.co/hxldoyM < Ed Miliband agrees with Nick.

35. Murdoch's Scum Credentials All In Order I See - Page 16 - The Liverpool Way

    [...] [...]

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