Phone hacking: News of the World man named in ninth arrest

Former News of the World executive editor Neil Wallis has been arrested in connection with allegations of phone hacking.

This makes him the ninth person in total to be arrested by officers investigating allegations of phone hacking and corruption at the title.

In a statement today the Metropolitan police confirmed that a 60-year-old man had been arrested in London this morning in connection with allegations of phone hacking.

"At 06:30 officers from the MPS Operation Weeting team arrested a man on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to Section1(1) Criminal Law Act 1977," police said.

Wallis, who is currently in custody at a West London police station, joined the News of the World in 2003 as deputy editor under Andy Coulson. He was made executive editor in 2007 but left in 2009. He is now a senior consultant at PR firm Outside Organisation.

His arrest follows two in one day last week, when the former editor of the News of the World Andy Coulson and former royal correspondent Clive Goodman were questioned by police.

The News of the World published its last edition on Sunday following allegations of phone hacking and payments to police.

Yesterday the prime minister David Cameron urged owner News Corporation to "clear up the mess" it had created. The company later announced it had withdrawn its controversial bid for BSkyB given the current "climate".

News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch, along with his son and chairman of News News Corporation (International) James Murdoch and News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, have all been asked to face the culture, media and sport committee next week.

According to BBC News, MPs will meet to make a decision on whether they will summon Brooks to answer their questions.

"The Commons media committee also wants to question News Corporation's Rupert and James Murdoch but cannot force them to appear as they are not UK citizens," the BBC reported.

The committee was not available for comment at the time of writing. On Tuesday, when it requested the attendance of the trio a committee spokesperson had said it was a "long way off" summoning them to appear.

Brooks did agree to an invitation to appear before the home affairs select committee in 2003, where she seemed to admit that News International had paid police officers for information.

Today a spokesman for News International declined to comment on whether Brooks would agree to the latest request, saying the company is responding to the committee in "the proper way".

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