Paul Dacre: 'Unequivocal assurances' that newspapers did not hack phones
Credit: Ben Birchall/PAAssociated Newspapers editor-in-chief Paul Dacre has defended his newspaper group's use of the term "mendacious smears" in response to allegations of phone hacking made by Hugh Grant to the Leveson inquiry.
Recalled this afternoon to answer further questions, Dacre refused to withdraw the remarks made in November. He said the group had to act fast to avoid a "firestorm" made in response to Grant's "explosive and toxic" comments.
Dacre told the inquiry that the actor "knew the damage" the comments made on the opening day of the inquiry would have caused.
He said today: "If we had allowed that [Grant's allegation] to get traction, it would have taken off. We had to act in the robust way that we did."
Dacre added: "Mr Grant, the poster boy for Hacked Off, is giving evidence. He makes his allegation. He hadn't included it in his witness statement.
"Allegations of phone hacking have closed down a newspaper. It was explosive and toxic and he, a very sophisticated communicator who has been using the press all his life, knew the damage it would cause."
But David Sherborne QC told Dacre: "He was not attacking your newspaper group. He was simply explaining what his speculation was."
Lord Justice Leveson told the inquiry: "The concern that I have, and the only real concern that I have, was that Mr Grant came here and inferred that [a story] might have come from hacking.
"You on behalf of the Mail are absolutely entitled to say: 'He can infer what he wishes, he's entitled to it, but he's wrong'.
"If that's what had been said then I for one would have pushed the whole thing away," he said.
However, Leveson told the inquiry he was concerned about the term "mendacious smears", which he said implied Grant "had deliberately lied – that's what it means".
Asked if he would withdraw the "mendacious smears" remark, Dacre replied: "I will withdraw it if Mr Grant withdraws his repeated statements about the Daily Mail."
He said he was "as confident as any editor having made extensive inquiries that phone hacking is not practiced by the Mail on Sunday or the Daily Mail".
Dacre added: "I have given the inquiry my unequivocal assurances on that. I can be very confident."
The first phase of the Leveson inquiry hearing, covering the relationship between the press and the public and potentially illegal behaviour, has now ended. It has heard from 184 witnesses, with written statements from 42 others.
The next module, on the relationships between the press and police, begins on 27 February.
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