• Les Hinton and Nick Davies will be asked to give evidence
• Andy Coulson, Cameron communications chief, will “almost certainly” be called
An inquiry into the Guardian revelations about the use of illegal surveillance techniques by News International newspapers was launched this morning by the Commons culture, media and sport committee.
John Whittingdale, the committee chairman, said that the former News International boss Les Hinton and the Guardian’s reporter Nick Davies would be asked to give evidence at a hearing next Tuesday about the controversy.
Whittingdale also said it was “almost certain” that his committee would subsequently want to take evidence from Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor who now works as David Cameron’s communications chief.
After Clive Goodman, a News of the World reporter, was jailed in 2007 for illegally hacking into the mobile phones of three royal staff, Hinton told the committee that he was “absolutely convinced” that Goodman was the only person who knew about phone hacking at the paper.
Whittingdale said that, in the light of what Hinton said at the time, his committee was “completely shocked” to read that News Group, the News International parent company, had paid out more than £1m to settle legal cases involving illegal surveillance.
Hinton will be asked if he wants to “add to or amend” anything he told the committee in 2007.
The Guardian will also be asked to supply all the evidence acquired in the course of its investigtion to the committee.
Whittingdale, Conservative MP for Maldon and East Chelmsford, said: “The Guardian report raises a lot of questions. If News International did not have any knowledge of these practices, it begs the question as to why they paid more than £1m. The committee is extremely concerned about this.”
After the hearing next Tuesday, the committee will decide what other witnesses it wishes to call. Whittingdale said that the committee would probably want to hear from Stuart Kuttner, the News of the World’s outgoing managing editor, Rebekah Wade, the former Sun editor who has been promoted to News International chief executive, Colin Myler, the News of the World editor, and “almost certainly” Coulson.
The committee discussed the affair this morning before its members started considering a draft report containing the conclusions of its ongoing inquiry into press standards.
More details soon …
