Reports are coming in of evidence that the Sunday Times, another Murdoch rag, hacked Prime Miniter Gordon Brown over a 10 year period.
"Brown joins a long list of Labour politicians who are known to have been targeted by private investigators working for News International, including the former prime minister Tony Blair and his media adviser Alastair Campbell, the former deputy prime minister John Prescott and his political adviser Joan Hammell, Peter Mandelson as trade secretary, Jack Straw and David Blunkett as home secretaries, Tessa Jowell as media secretary and her special adviser Bill Bush, and Chris Bryant as minister for Europe.
The sheer scale of the data assault on Brown is unusual, with evidence of attempts to obtain his legal, financial, tax, medical and police records as well as to listen to his voicemail. All of these incidents are linked to media organisations. In many cases, there is evidence of a link to News International."
More after the flip and as I get it..
UPDATE 4: The Met Police chime in..
Police spokesperson criticises Met. Police and News Int.'s 'cosy relationship'
Baroness Doocey, a member of the London Metropolitan Police Authority and the Liberal Democrat London Assembly policing spokesperson, commented:
"During the time Andy Hayman, who was Met. Deputy Assistant Commissioner, was investigating alleged criminal allegations against the NOTW, he had lunches and dinners with their executives. And while John Yates was re-investigating the alleged criminal allegations, he too had lunches and dinners with NOTW and executives of News International.
Such a cosy relationship between the NOTW, News International and senior Met. police officers, who were leading an inquiry into the hacking allegations goes to the very heart of the problems that have arisen."
UPDATE 3: from The Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk, non-Rupert UK newspaper)
News International is committing commercial suicide by undermining the police
As if they’re not in enough trouble already, it seems certain executives are actively seeking to undermine the police’s anti-corruption investigation by continuing to brief their favourite media lackeys – notably the BBC’s Robert Peston – on their latest discoveries.
On the lunchtime news Pesto was at it again, boasting about how senior sources at NI had given him chapter and verse on how reporters had allegedly bribed a member of the Royal Family’s protection squad to obtain the private phone numbers and email accounts of senior royals.
At a time when Rupert Murdoch has just arrived in London to personally dampen down the flames engulfing his British media empire, it seems that certain of his key lieutenants seem intent on chucking gallons more fuel on the fire. If these NI executives had an ounce of common sense, they would be briefing the police on this disturbing discovery, not the preening Mr Preston.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/...
And from Twitter:
@tom_watson: Robert @peston is being spoon fed the internal NI document handed over to the Met in chunks.They're spinning their bad news. It's not right.
UPDATE 2: Audio of 'the con' emerges
Listen to how the Sunday Times blagged Brown's property details
In January 2000 a conman working for the Sunday Times, Barry Beardall, tricked staff at solicitors, Allen & Overy, into handing over information about the sale price of Gordon Brown's flat. Listen to Beardall pretending to be an accountant from the 'Dealson group of companies' in two phone conversations he recorded:
http://download.guardian.co.uk/...
UPDATE: Current British Prime Minister (like 'President', yet not) David Cameron responds to the new findings:
David Cameron 'appalled' at Gordon Brown 'target' claim
Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is 'appalled' by allegations that The Sunday Times targeted the personal information of the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Documents and a phone recording suggest "blagging" was used to obtain private financial and property details.
The Browns also fear medical records relating to their son Fraser, whom the Sun revealed in 2006 had cystic fibrosis, may have been obtained.
News International is yet to respond.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/...
Journalists from across News International repeatedly targeted the former prime minister Gordon Brown, attempting to access his voicemail and obtaining information from his bank account, his legal file as well as his family's medical records.
Brown was targeted during a period of more than 10 years, both as chancellor of the exchequer and as prime minister. Some of the activity clearly was illegal. Other incidents breached his privacy but not the law. An investigation by the Guardian has found that:
• Scotland Yard has discovered references to both Brown and his wife, Sarah, in paperwork seized from Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who specialised in phone hacking for the News of the World;
• Abbey National bank found evidence suggesting that a "blagger" acting for the Sunday Times on six occasions posed as Brown and gained details from his account;
• Brown's London lawyers, Allen & Overy, were tricked into handing over details from his file by a conman working for the Sunday Times;
• Details from his infant son's medical records were obtained by the Sun, who published a story about the child's serious illness.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...
It's really starting to snow ball over here! At the very least, the BSkyB deal is finished!
Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon said: "It potentially spreads the allegations to other parts of the Murdoch UK stable and will add to speculation, rampant around News International, that the Murdochs may be considering selling off all of News International in order to look after the rest of their empire and not see the whole thing go up in flames."
On Thursday Labour MP Tom Watson told Channel 4 News he expected the controversy to "cross over to other News International titles".
He said that other techniques, including computer hacking, would come to light over time.
http://blogs.channel4.com/...
Emphasis added.
Nail. Coffin. News Corp.