Gordon Brown in Ferocious Commons Attack on News International - NOTW Phone Hacking *NEW*

Gordon Brown has launched a ferocious attack on News International in the Commons, accusing it of "law breaking on an industrial scale".

Click the link below to SUBSCRIBE to the 'News of the World Phone Hacking' YouTube channel @ http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?annotation_id=annotation_732456&am...

For upto date news on the hacking scandal, follow me on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/#!/NOTW_Hack_News

The former prime minister told MPs the publisher had been part of a "criminal-media nexus" and many innocent people had suffered from stories written by its newspapers.

He was speaking after parent firm News Corporation dropped its bid for BSkyB.

News International has denied stories about Mr Brown were sourced illegally.
The former prime minister mounted the fierce attack in a debate in Parliament - the first major one he has spoken in since he left power last year.

He defended his government's relationship with News International, saying he had "stood up for the public interest" in his dealings with the Murdoch-owned press and not struck any private deals.

Mr Brown, who was prime minister when the Murdoch press transferred its allegiance from Labour to the Conservatives, said his relationship with the publisher was never "cosy nor comfortable".

Mr Brown said he was shocked by what he learnt about the conduct of titles owned by the newspaper firm when he became prime minister in 2007.

He claimed the firm - whose recently closed paper the News of the World is at the centre of a police inquiry into phone hacking - had "descended from the gutter to the sewers".

"Those at News International who took the freedom of the press as a licence for abuse, who then cynically manipulated our support of that vital freedom as their justification and then callously used the defence of the free press as the banner under which they marched in step, I say, with members of the criminal underworld," he said.

"And it was this nexus, this criminal media nexus, claiming to be on the side of the law-abiding citizen, but in fact standing side by side with criminals against our citizens."

Police are investigating claims that the murdered school girl Milly Dowler, the families of those killed in the 7/7 London bombings and bereaved relatives of service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are among those whose phones were hacked into.

Mr Brown said the "private lives, private losses and private sorrows" of many "wholly innocent" men, women and children had been "treated as public property" by News International, adding that he knew of more victims of hacking.

"Their private and inner most feelings and their private tears bought and sold by News International for commercial gain," he said.

The former prime minister also claimed he was stopped from launching an inquiry into alleged phone hacking by the Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, reading out the advice he was given to MPs.

He concluded by calling for a rethink of media ownership rules to secure a "fairer distribution of media power in this country" and a robust public inquiry to ensure what he claimed was the "illegality, collusion and cover-up" of recent years could not be repeated.

Labour MPs applauded Mr Brown after he completed his speech - the first major parliamentary intervention since leaving power.

However, some Tory MPs jeered and several intervened during his speech to question why he had not done more to combat press power during his time in office.

For the government, Deputy Commons leader David Heath said Mr Brown had provided "serious evidence" and he hoped it would be considered by the public inquiry.

The Commons proceeded with a debate about News Corporation's bid for broadcaster BSkyB despite its decision earlier on Wednesday to withdraw it, citing the current "climate".

MPs from all parties backed a Labour motion calling for the bid to be withdrawn in "the public interest" without the need for a vote.

Both the Sun and the Sunday Times have refuted specific allegations made by Mr Brown about the methods they used to obtain stories about him and his family.

The Sunday Times has rejected claims it used criminals to get access to his personal details. The Sun said a story it ran about Mr Brown's baby son having cystic fibrosis had been sourced legitimately.

Thanks to the BBC.

Wednesday 13th July 2011

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Gordon
• Brown
• Ferocious
• Commons
• Attack
• News
• Of
• The
• World
• Rupert
• Murdoch
• Rebekah
• Brooks
• Andy
• Coulson
• David
• Cameron
• Conservative
• Clive
• Goodman
• Glenn
• Mulcaire
• Editor
• Chris
• Bryant
• Ed
• Miliband
• Lord
• Prescott
• Tom
• Watson
• Journalists
• BSkyB
• International
• Politics
• Metropolitan
• Police
• Resign
• Payoffs
• Honest
• Row
• Judical
• Review
• Hacked
• By
• Phone
• Media
• Scandal
• Celebrities
• Damages
• Corruption
• Victims
• Select
• Committee

[witheshaw]

Note how Brown fails to give way as is tradition. The man is allergic to scrutiny. Let's be clear that all the allegations that are surfacing happened on Labour's watch.

[NOTWPhoneHacking]

@witheshaw Forgive me, but saying "Let's be clear that all the allegations that are surfacing happened on Labour's watch. " is like saying 'let's be clear, September 11th happened on Labours watch."

Kind of obvious, but it doesn't mean they instigated or condoned it.

[warriorprince1010]

@jacksawild The point we made stand. Brownites will always desperatly pretend Brown was innocent, but no one seems to believe them. Without the credit crunch which Brown help create. All Browns policies made the poor poorer, that was the major part of his legacy.

[lossadjuster1]

Is that man for real? I am surprised he has the nerve to show his face after the state "New Labour" left the country in. It is thanks to them that the EU are able to dictate to us, as they caved into to all their demands. They opened our gates to all and sundry and we ended up one of the most crowded islands in the world. We were taxed to the brink and they borrowed without a care for the future, or a clue as to how it would be paid back. What a complete amd utter DISGRACE!

[ams44111]

One of the mist unhinged rants I've ever heard pass the lips of an elected politican. Brown was a thousand times the disgrace of the phone hacking. In fact, it's something Brown would have sanctioned himself to damage the Tories. An utter disgrace as PM, and an utter disgrace as a man.

[gladys2]

What hypocrisy. The man used the worst of spin doctors and ministers such as Balls to spread muck on rivals within his party and the opposition. Read Andrew Rawnsley's "The End of the Party" - it's a phenomenal insight into the real Brown.

[trankuser9]

@witheshaw right wing prick

[jacksawild]

@warriorprince1010 That is a ridiculous comment. Our present situation was caused by the drying up of cheap credit upon which higher margin credit was issued freely, even to those with no means of repayment. This was USA policy which killed everyone's economy and if they don't sort it by Aug 2nd it will get a LOT worse. That will be under Cameron's PM'ship. You sir, are a moron tory boy.

[Bellalodicci9]

@jacksawild Of course it was .80% of the country are really stupid aren't' they ?. Can't hold a candle to those sharp witted Labour voting folk in places like Grimethorpe, Rotherham, Barnsley, Accrington and Hartlepool that represent the real enlightened, intellectual colossi of this country.

[dazzagazza6969]

So the government is manipulated by private media and banks - this should be no shock to any British person with atleast half a brain cell.

There is no such thing as democracy in the UK only the illusion that politicians are working in the publics interest.

Most politicians knew this was going on but are nothing more than cowardly sheep who are scared to individually stand up to media and banking giants. Britain needs more brave politicians who will take on these tyrannies.

[Ru4Reel73]

I've always detested Gordon Brown but I think the media phone hacking is deplorable and unforgivable. More heads need to roll and take in some jail time. Don't the journalists writing the stories quality assure their sources so they are as guilty as anyone els in this matter?

[express375]

Gave Billions of tax payers money to banks( for free)!!,and he's going on about this shit!