Boris deputy intervened to stop hacking inquiry


by Sunny Hundal    
5:05 pm - March 5th 2012

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Labour has gone on the attack today after it emerged that Boris deputy Kit Malthouse tried to block a probe of the News of the World hacking inquiry.

Update: Its important to understand why this is important.

Kit Malthouse acquired sole scrutiny powers over the Metropolitan Police in January this year when the Met Police Authority was disbanded.

He is effectively the most important individual scrutinising policing. And he’s now exposed as interfering with a police inquiry for political reasons.

The former Met commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said in his written statement to the Leveson inquiry today:

On several occasions after Operation Weeting had started and I had returned from sick leave, the chair of the MPA, Kit Malthouse, expressed a view that we should not be devoting this level of resources to the phone-hacking inquiry as a consequence of a largely political and media-driven ‘level of hysteria’.

Labour MP Chris Bryant has sent out a strongly worded statement criticising Malthouse.

Today’s revelation at the Leveson Inquiry by the former Met Commissioner about the actions of Boris Johnson’s deputy makes it clear that from the highest political level Johnson and Malthouse have intentionally sought to close down the phone-hacking investigation.

This amounts to a clear political intervention designed to intimidate the Met into dropping an investigation.

Considering that the investigation has thus far uncovered bribery of police officers by the Sun, mass criminality at the News of the World and a deliberate attempt to pervert the course of justice by News International, both Boris Johnson and Kit Malthouse’s interventions show that they are more interested in protecting their cronies than in pursuing justice.

In 2010, Boris Johnson called phone hacking “a load of codswallop cooked up by the Labour Party” and a “song and dance about nothing”.

In any other country this kind of political manipulation would be considered wholly unacceptable and corrupt.

Labour now say Malthouse should be censured or be asked to resign from his post.

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. Guano

Boris himself hasn’t quite understood the seriousness of the Inquiry.

http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2011/07/18/boris-shouts-at-journalists-over-phone-hackin?link=related

2. sean

boris understood all too well the seriousness of the Inquiry. as do the rest of the politicians who fear exposure.

3. Sally

The Murdoch giant octopus of evil has extended its slimy tentacles into every area of life.

It should cost Boris his job. But it won’t.

4. LibertarianLou

This is fascinating and totally share the outrage…

…but “in any other country”? Really? China? Russia? Italy? America? Iran? Saudi Arabia?

Sorry to be pedantic I just don’t think this story really needs hyperbole, it’s crazy enough! ;)

5. SomersetChris

Boris has seven ex Deputies, one more makes enough for a game of polo. Anyone know where they can borrow some horses?

6. ukliberty

You are talking about comments made in 2011 and 2010 when the full seriousness of what has gone on hadn’t been made apparent.

It would be much more interesting if Malthouse and Johnson have not since changed their minds.

7. Barrie J

Why would we be even slightly surprised?
The whole ‘House of Cards’ is corrupt from the top to the bottom – not a single institution is free of it.
Not even a 1000 with the strength and determination of Hercules could clear these stables of the stench of their corruption.
We should be angry – instead we turn on to the next ‘reality tv’ show – I despair.

8. Jane Hobson

After a lot of trouble I was able to get hold of and have a quick read from part of the new unreleased book from Author John Coventry. The snippet I received is explosive, regarding the Hacking enquiry, a certain newspaper,police and certain ex ministers. This manuscript lays bare the lies and deceit of the Hacking enquiry by the police,the closeness of Yates and other members to a certain Newspaper ( Not the Daily Sun ,Express or Telegraph). The manuscript goes back to the Cash for honours enquiry and links the corruption within that enquiry to the Hacking enquiry. How during the cash of honours enquiry a deal was agreed between the Police investigating and a Newspaper to remove potential witness’s by letting the Newspaper destroy their credibility with lies and innuendo.Targetting certain very credable witness’s. With the Hacking enquiry the amounts of money involved is shatttering. The evidence is not just the Authors view,but he has it seems been able to suppiment this with witness statements,audio and video recordings and photgraphs over a period of years.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Just wait until November and see how policing changes | Liberal Conspiracy

    [...] March 5, 2012 at 5:57 pm Good to know then that deputy mayor of London Kit Malthouse last year “repeatedly told” the then Met commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson that Operation Weeting, the reinvestigation of phone [...]

  2. Anne Price

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  3. Evil Del

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  4. Tristram Wyatt

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  5. Ben Trebilcook

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  6. Brian McCardie

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  7. ricky marden

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  8. Eileen Cowen

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  9. RMH1964

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  10. Robert Shore

    Phone hacking catching up with #Boris Johnson & his cronies. Codswallop, he said. http://t.co/Sly7rS5H

  11. Isobel waby

    Phone hacking catching up with #Boris Johnson & his cronies. Codswallop, he said. http://t.co/Sly7rS5H

  12. Dorothy Braithwaite

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  13. Colm McCarthy

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  14. sam_hilliard

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  15. nigel blennerhassett

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  16. alan cocks

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  17. Janet Graham

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  18. elliot herman

    Boris deputy intervened to try to stop hacking inquiry http://t.co/3D2kZAGO (via @libcon @sunny_hundal)

  19. Chris Bell

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  20. AlisonWinstone

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  21. vkellywallace

    So just to reiterate, the guy now responsible for scrutinising Met Police interfered in the inquiry into phone-hacking http://t.co/GY4qf1C8

  22. Ken Livingstone and recent controversies – a defence | Liberal Conspiracy

    [...] doesn’t just lie and manipulate relentlessly – he is surrounded by cronies who have tried to do more damage than Ken’s mates ever [...]

  23. Neil Partridge

    http://liberalconspiracy.org/2012/03/05/boris-deputy-politically-intervened-to-stop-hacking-inquiry/

  24. Neil Partridge

    Boris deputy intervened to stop hacking inquiry | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/pOMd9mWr via @libcon

  25. Oasis Caretaker

    In 2010 Boris Johnson on hacking “a load of codswallop cooked up by Labour Party” and a “song and dance about nothing” http://t.co/eUWq57cw

  26. Dev Raval

    In 2010 Boris Johnson on hacking “a load of codswallop cooked up by Labour Party” and a “song and dance about nothing” http://t.co/eUWq57cw

  27. sunny hundal

    (doh! correction: it was Kit Malthouse who intervened in Leveson http://t.co/GY4qf1C8 not Richard Barnes ht @EllieCumbo still big win)

  28. TeresaMary

    (doh! correction: it was Kit Malthouse who intervened in Leveson http://t.co/GY4qf1C8 not Richard Barnes ht @EllieCumbo still big win)

  29. Jos Bell

    (doh! correction: it was Kit Malthouse who intervened in Leveson http://t.co/GY4qf1C8 not Richard Barnes ht @EllieCumbo still big win)

  30. Foxy52

    (doh! correction: it was Kit Malthouse who intervened in Leveson http://t.co/GY4qf1C8 not Richard Barnes ht @EllieCumbo still big win)





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