MP Louise Mensch apologises for Piers Morgan accusation

Conservative MP Louise Mensch has apologised for wrongly claiming in a committee meeting that former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan had admitted to phone hacking.

In a letter to the culture, media and sport select committee, published today (29 July), Mensch said she wanted to apologise to Morgan and the committee for her error.

"In my questions to Rupert and James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks, I wrongly stated that Piers Morgan, formerly editor of the Daily Mirror, had been open about personally hacking phones in a book he wrote.

"This was based on my misreading of an article in the Daily Telegraph, published on the 13 July, which covered Mr Morgan's description in his book of how to hack a phone and how he won the Scoop of the Year on the story of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Ulrika Johnson.

"The Telegraph report covers the claim of a blogger that this story was acquired by phone hacking, and I misread that as Mr Morgan himself claiming this to be true."

Following her comments in the committee, Morgan, who denied the claim, challenged Mensch to repeat it outside of Parliament.

Trinity Mirror chief executive Sly Bailey wrote to the committee following Mensch's comments, also claiming the allegations were "wholly untrue".

"We hold no brief for Mr Morgan and have had little contact with him since he left our employment, but it is wholly wrong that a Member of Parliament can use their position to make statements of 'fact' that are wholly wrong," she said.

In her apology letter, which came in response to Bailey's correspondence, Mensch added that she welcomed the editorial review announced by Trinity Mirror on the wider issue of newsroom practices.

The announcement of the review followed allegations made against its own titles by former employees.

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