Tories accused of attempt to undermine Leveson inquiry

A Labour MP has accused senior Conservatives of a "systematic" attempt to undermine the Leveson inquiry by pre-empting the outcome of its report.

Shadow Commons leader Angela Eagle said in parliament yesterday that politicians should not "brow-beat" Lord Justice Leveson - following comments about his inquiry by education secretary Michael Gove and London mayor Boris Johnson.

Eagle said: "If in Syria we have seen journalism at its very best, we have heard this week at the Leveson inquiry about the worst excesses of some sections of the press.

"The Conservative Mayor of London, who is in charge of the Metropolitan police, said last year that stories of illegal phone hacking were 'codswallop', but this week he argued that 'the caravan should move on'.

"Joining in, the Conservative education secretary said that the Leveson inquiry was having a chilling effect on press freedom.

"This is beginning to look like a systematic attempt to undermine the inquiry and pre-empt the outcome. Some sections of the press might be trying to browbeat Lord Justice Leveson, but does the Leader of the House agree with me that Conservative Cabinet Ministers and the Conservative Mayor of London should not join in?"

Commons leader Sir George Young replied: "I gently remind the honourable lady that it was the coalition government who set up the inquiry to get to the bottom of exactly what has been going on."

Asked by Labour leader Ed Miliband about the same issue during prime minister's questions on Wednesday, David Cameron said: "The education secretary, like the rest of the cabinet, fully supports the Leveson inquiry and wants it to proceed with the very important work that it does. That is the position of the education secretary and the position of the entire government.

"I think it is important for all of us in this house to say is that while these inquiries are going on, it is important for politicians who, let us be frank, benefit sometimes when the press are a little bit less hard-hitting than they have been in recent years, to say that we support a free, vibrant, robust press."

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