Kate Middleton and Tony Blair were today revealed to be two of the highest profile names linked to the News International phone hacking scandal.
Prince William's wife and the former Prime Minister were allegedly hacked by private investigator Jonathan Rees and an MP has now called for the investigation into hacking to be widened to include the pair.
Tom Watson MP said that Mr Blair was subject to covert surveillance, according to the Guardian newspaper. 
The paper suggests that senior royals had their bank accounts hacked into - including Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent.
It is also alleged that Kate Middleton was also targeted before she married Prince William. 
Mrs May refused to be drawn into the row, telling Mr Watson: 'He is trying to tempt me to comment on a particular investigation that is taking place at the moment.
'It is not appropriate for me to do so. There is an investigation that is taking place by the Metropolitan Police and we have been absolutely clear they should follow the evidence wherever it goes.'
Mr Watson did not say what form the 'covert surveillance' of Mr Blair took.
Earlier during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Watson told David Cameron 'powerful forces' were at work to orchestrate a cover-up in Operation Weeting, Scotland Yard's codename for its probe into phone hacking at the News of the World.
Mr Watson said: 'The Metropolitan police are in possession of paperwork detailing the dealings of criminal private investigator Jonathan Rees.
'It strongly suggests that, on behalf of News International, he was illegally targeting members of the royal family, senior politicians and high-level terrorist informers, yet the head of Operation Weeting has recently written to me to explain that this evidence may be outside the inquiry's terms of reference.
'I believe powerful forces are involved in a cover-up.'
Mr Cameron told him: 'There is a police inquiry and a police inquiry does not need terms of reference. 
'The police are free to investigate the evidence and take that wherever it leads them, and then mount a prosecution with the Crown Prosecution Service if the evidence supports that.
'In the case of phone hacking, which is illegal and wrong, there have been prosecutions and imprisonments, and if that is where the evidence takes them, that is what will happen in the future.
'There are no terms of reference as far as I am concerned; the police are able to look at any evidence and all evidence they can find.'
Earlier this week Sienna Miller won a £100,000 settlement in her claim of harassment and invasion of privacy against the News of the World.
She is one of a number of celebrities who has accused the newspaper of hacking their phone calls and voice mails. 
Her counsel, David Sherborne, told Mr Justice Vos that, in 2005 and 2006, she was the subject of numerous articles which contained 'intrusive and private information'.
As well as the damages and her legal costs, Ms Miller was granted an injunction preventing any further unlawful accessing of her voicemail and publication of her private informationThe order also provided for disclosure of information about the extent of the activities and expressly allows her to come back to court in the light of any new material.
The 29-year-old actress, who is appearing in Terence Rattigan's Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, was not at London's High Court for the brief hearing.
At a previous hearing in London a judge heard that News Group Newspapers admitted liability unconditionally for all the wrongs alleged by the star and accepted responsibility for compensating her. 
A further hearing is listed before Mr Justice Vos today for the reading of a statement formalising the settlement.
Ms Miller's counsel, Hugh Tomlinson QC, has said that her 'primary concern' was 'not how much money is awarded by way of compensation'.
It was to 'know exactly what the extent was of the hacking which took place and, having obtained an order which will enable her to know that - so far as it is knowable - that meets all her requirements from this action'.
Ms Miller's claim had been expected to be one of a number of test cases to be tried in January next year by Mr Justice Vos.
On May 20 actor Jude Law's claim was named as one of the lead cases.
The other selected cases are agent Sky Andrew, interior designer Kelly Hoppen, football commentator Andy Gray and MP Chris Bryant.
The action arises out of the disclosure of information by the Metropolitan Police and Vodafone relating to material forfeited by private detective Glenn Mulcaire who, with News of the World reporter Clive Goodman, was jailed over royal phone taps in 2007. 
Prince William's wife and the former Prime Minister were allegedly hacked by private investigator Jonathan Rees and an MP has now called for the investigation into hacking to be widened to include the pair.
Tom Watson MP said that Mr Blair was subject to covert surveillance, according to the Guardian newspaper.
An MP called for the investigation into phone hacking to be widened after it was revealed that Kate Middleton and Tony Blair 'may have been victims
The paper suggests that senior royals had their bank accounts hacked into - including Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent.
It is also alleged that Kate Middleton was also targeted before she married Prince William.
Jonathan Rees is alleged to have hacked Kate Middleton and Tony Blair
Mr Watson said: 'The convicted private investigator Jonathan Rees, a contractor to News International, targeted former prime minister Tony Blair for covert surveillance, and at least one former home secretary.'
Mr Watson was speaking following a statement by Home Secretary Theresa May on the setting up of the National Crime Agency to replace the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
Mrs May told the Commons the US-style agency will have sweeping new powers to step in and coordinate police forces in a bid to tackle organised crime and secure the UK's borders.
Mr Watson raised the allegations over Rees and asked the Home Secretary: 'It is likely that witness testimonies have been available to the Metropolitan Police for a number of years on this?
'Given this seriousness of this, is this the sort of case that she would take from the Metropolitan Police and give to the new National Crime Agency?'
News International records reveal that Rees was regularly employed by the company from the late 1990s and that during 2006, the News of the World paid him more than £4,000 for research.
Mr Watson was speaking following a statement by Home Secretary Theresa May on the setting up of the National Crime Agency to replace the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
Mrs May told the Commons the US-style agency will have sweeping new powers to step in and coordinate police forces in a bid to tackle organised crime and secure the UK's borders.
Mr Watson raised the allegations over Rees and asked the Home Secretary: 'It is likely that witness testimonies have been available to the Metropolitan Police for a number of years on this?
'Given this seriousness of this, is this the sort of case that she would take from the Metropolitan Police and give to the new National Crime Agency?'
News International records reveal that Rees was regularly employed by the company from the late 1990s and that during 2006, the News of the World paid him more than £4,000 for research.
Mr Watson has repeatedly expressed concern over the Met's investigations into phone hacking at the News of the World, which is published by News International.
MP Tom Watson has repeated concerns over the Met's investigation
Mrs May refused to be drawn into the row, telling Mr Watson: 'He is trying to tempt me to comment on a particular investigation that is taking place at the moment.
'It is not appropriate for me to do so. There is an investigation that is taking place by the Metropolitan Police and we have been absolutely clear they should follow the evidence wherever it goes.'
Mr Watson did not say what form the 'covert surveillance' of Mr Blair took.
Earlier during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Watson told David Cameron 'powerful forces' were at work to orchestrate a cover-up in Operation Weeting, Scotland Yard's codename for its probe into phone hacking at the News of the World.
Mr Watson said: 'The Metropolitan police are in possession of paperwork detailing the dealings of criminal private investigator Jonathan Rees.
'It strongly suggests that, on behalf of News International, he was illegally targeting members of the royal family, senior politicians and high-level terrorist informers, yet the head of Operation Weeting has recently written to me to explain that this evidence may be outside the inquiry's terms of reference.
'I believe powerful forces are involved in a cover-up.'
Mr Cameron told him: 'There is a police inquiry and a police inquiry does not need terms of reference.
David Cameron said the police were 'free to investigate the evidence and take that wherever it leads them' while Theresa May refused to be drawn into the row
'The police are free to investigate the evidence and take that wherever it leads them, and then mount a prosecution with the Crown Prosecution Service if the evidence supports that.
'In the case of phone hacking, which is illegal and wrong, there have been prosecutions and imprisonments, and if that is where the evidence takes them, that is what will happen in the future.
'There are no terms of reference as far as I am concerned; the police are able to look at any evidence and all evidence they can find.'
Earlier this week Sienna Miller won a £100,000 settlement in her claim of harassment and invasion of privacy against the News of the World.
She is one of a number of celebrities who has accused the newspaper of hacking their phone calls and voice mails.
Clive Goodman, former royal editor at News of the World, was jailed in 2007 while Sienna Miller's claim for £100,000 from the paper was settled at the High Court
Her counsel, David Sherborne, told Mr Justice Vos that, in 2005 and 2006, she was the subject of numerous articles which contained 'intrusive and private information'.
As well as the damages and her legal costs, Ms Miller was granted an injunction preventing any further unlawful accessing of her voicemail and publication of her private informationThe order also provided for disclosure of information about the extent of the activities and expressly allows her to come back to court in the light of any new material.
The 29-year-old actress, who is appearing in Terence Rattigan's Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, was not at London's High Court for the brief hearing.
At a previous hearing in London a judge heard that News Group Newspapers admitted liability unconditionally for all the wrongs alleged by the star and accepted responsibility for compensating her.
(clockwise from top left) Jude Law, Kelly Hoppen, Andy Gray and MP Chris Bryant have been chosen as test cases to be tried in January next year
A further hearing is listed before Mr Justice Vos today for the reading of a statement formalising the settlement.
Ms Miller's counsel, Hugh Tomlinson QC, has said that her 'primary concern' was 'not how much money is awarded by way of compensation'.
It was to 'know exactly what the extent was of the hacking which took place and, having obtained an order which will enable her to know that - so far as it is knowable - that meets all her requirements from this action'.
Ms Miller's claim had been expected to be one of a number of test cases to be tried in January next year by Mr Justice Vos.
On May 20 actor Jude Law's claim was named as one of the lead cases.
The other selected cases are agent Sky Andrew, interior designer Kelly Hoppen, football commentator Andy Gray and MP Chris Bryant.
The action arises out of the disclosure of information by the Metropolitan Police and Vodafone relating to material forfeited by private detective Glenn Mulcaire who, with News of the World reporter Clive Goodman, was jailed over royal phone taps in 2007.
Rupert Murdoch's News International company, of which the News of the World is a part, offered an 'unreserved apology' to victims of the phone hacking scandal
No comments:
Post a Comment