Police

Wednesday

Alex Massie

Westminster's Festina Affair

Cycling fans will recall the Festina Affair that crippled the 1998 version of the Tour de France. The discovery that the peloton could be considered a travelling pharmacy did not surprise veteran cycling aficionados, even if the extent and sophistication of the doping was enough to shock some. Entire teams withdrew from a race that, with grim inevitability, quickly became known as the Tour de Farce. Well, this phone-hacking scandal is, for the press and parliament, a comparable scandal. Just as it was no secret that doping was a staple part of the professional cyclist’s diet, so it was hardly hidden that the newspapers, especially but not exclusively, the tabloids

Tuesday

Blair Gibbs

Only police reform can keep politics out of policing

We expect and openly tolerate close, even cosy, relations between politicians and the media – each relies on the other for survival in a society that is less deferential and where politicians find it difficult to be heard, let alone trusted. The police need to tell their side of the story. But the police are not politicians. When senior police officers begin to behave like politicians – and 18 dinners with one media group looks like a politician’s diary – they damage the wider reputation of the service. First, officers who meet with the press are still public servants with a duty of discretion, and yet insight and understanding can

Monday

David Blackburn

From the archives – Yates had previous

As Theresa May put it in an impressive statement to the House earlier, “These allegations are not, unfortunately, the only recent example of alleged corruption and nepotism in the police.” She then vowed to open an inquiry into these matters, which will stand in addition to the two already announced by the government. The panel will have plenty to look at, as Michael White explained in the Spectator a few years back. John Yates has previous, by Michael White, 10 March 2007 When I was a young reporter on the London Evening Standard nearly 40 years ago I spent a lot of time in the press room at Scotland Yard,

David Blackburn

Yates has his say as new allegations against him emerge

John Yates has spoken and those expecting a grovelling apology were met with dignified defiance. Where Sir Paul Stephenson threw dainty little parcels of mud at the government, Yates struck an earnest tone that was quite without contrition or malice. He admitted to “great personal frustration” that his part in the 2009 phone hacking scandal was still subject to debate and for this he blamed the press. “There has been much ill-informed and downright malicious gossip about me,” he said. “I have acted with complete integrity and my conscience is clear.” And he claimed that his actions would be examined in a calmer environment that that which prevails at present. He went on to

James Forsyth

Yates goes as Boris stands by

Yates of the Yard has gone as the phone hacking scandal claims yet another scalp. Yates walked after being told he would be suspended. Yates’ departure was necessary given the appalling mistake of hiring Neil Wallis, a former editor at the News of the World, while the Met was investigating — or supposed to be investigating — phone hacking at the paper. There will, though, be particular pleasure in Blairite circles at Yates’ departure. They remain furious with Yates for his behaviour and tactics during the cash for honours investigation. The talk is of appointing a new Met Commissioner by the autumn. But given that Bernard Hogan-Howe was a finalist

David Blackburn

Quizzical eyes turn on Yates

The phone hacking saga is now moving at such pace it threatens to engulf the political establishment (whether it is a sufficiently serious story to do so is another matter). After Sir Paul Stephenson’s theatrical resignation, timed to upset newspaper deadlines and plotted to embarrass the Prime Minister, attention has now turned to John Yates. Boris Johnson has said that Yates has ‘questions to answer’; and Brian Paddick argues that Yates should fall on his sword too. The Metropolitan Police Standards Committee meets this morning, and, as Laura Kuenssberg notes, it may discuss John Yates’ conduct. Yates’ defence (that he was overseeing 20 terror cases at the same time as

Sunday

James Forsyth

Stephenson kicks Cameron on the way out

Sir Paul Stephenson’s resignation statement contains three paragraphs that hand plenty of political ammunition to Labour: “Now let me turn to the reported displeasure of the prime minister and the home secretary of the relationship with Mr Wallis. ” The reasons for not having told them are two fold. Firstly, I repeat my earlier comments of having at the time no reason for considering the contractual relationship to be a matter of concern. Unlike Mr Coulson, Mr Wallis had not resigned from News of the World or, to the best of my knowledge been in any way associated with the original phone hacking investigation. “Secondly, once Mr Wallis’s name did

James Forsyth

Now Sir Paul Stephenson resigns

This story just keeps speeding up. Paul Stephenson, the commissioner of the Met, has now resigned because of his links to Neil Wallis. Wallis is the former News of the World journalist arrested recently as part of the investigation into phone-hacking; he was hired by the Met to offer media advice from autumn 2009 to 2010. The New York Times today claims that Wallis was reporting back to News International during this time. Boris Johnson and the Home Secretary will now have to agree on a replacement for Stephenson. Given what we have learnt about the Met in recent days, I suspect it will be an outsider. Bernard Hogan-Howe, the former chief

Alex Massie

Conveniently, Rebekah Brooks has been arrested...

Rebekah Brooks has been arrested on grounds of conspiring to intercept communications and, more generally, corrupting public life and so on. Since this story is no place for the naive, an appropriate measure of cynicism demands one ask why Brooks has been arrested today? At the very least this development is likely to make a mockery of her appearance before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on Tuesday. One imagines Brooks’ lawyers will suggest she come armed with one answer to any and all questions: “I’m sorry but these are matters currently being investigated by the police and I would not want to jeopardise or otherwise prejudice those enquiries.

David Blackburn

Miliband the hero

Garlands go to the conqueror. The Observer has interviewed Ed Miliband about his response to the News International crisis, and it’s as if Caesar has returned home after crushing the traitor Pompey. Miliband told the Spectator in an interview with James Forsyth in this week’s magazine that Murdoch’s spell on British politics has been broken. He reiterates that sentiment with the Observer and adds that Murdoch’s endorsement will be a “double-edged sword at the next election”. When speaking to James he was careful to insist that there was nothing personal in his burgeoning crusade against Murdoch; he is not so careful now.  “I think he has too much power over British public

David Blackburn

Policing the Olympics

The reputation of the police may be as black as mud at the moment, but the Met has a chance to atone during the Olympics. Security forces have been making their preparations as the Olympic construction site nears completion.  In May, police officers, counter-intelligence officials and the emergency services conducted their first major security exercise. Further stress tests are being undertaken on local transport routes and waterways. And permanent surveillance of Olympic venues is being established; in future, visitors to these sites will be subject to airport-style security and a number of armed officers will patrol the area. Nothing, it seems, is being left to chance. These operations are being

Saturday

James Forsyth

The spotlight moves onto the police

Tomorrow’s New York Times contains more revelations on the overly cosy nature of the relationship between the police and News International. The paper alleges that Neil Wallis, who was acting as a media consultant for Scotland Yard from autumn 2009 to 2010 and was arrested this week in relation to the phone hacking case, was ‘reporting back to News International while he was working for the police on the hacking case.’ It should be stressed that this allegation has not been proven. If The New York Times’ allegation is correct, then the police’s decision to hire Wallis becomes—hard, though, this is—an even more stupid one. I suspect that the actions

Thursday

David Blackburn

Coalition's crime worries ease, but concerns remain

The British Crime Survey is published today and the Home Office had prepared for the worst. For months now, figures close to Theresa May have been expressing their fear that the combination of Ken Clarke’s liberal prisons policy and economic hardship would cause a rise in crime for which the Home Office, graveyard for so many political careers, would be blamed. Today’s figures will have eased their disquiet somewhat, insulating them from Labour’s critique that police cuts are endangering society. The headline is that crime in England and Wales has remained stable over the last year, except for a 14 per cent spike in domestic burglaries according to the British

Tuesday

James Forsyth

Attention turns to the police

Today, the spotlight in the phone hacking scandal is shifting onto the police — who have an awful lot of questions to answer. Indeed, I suspect at the end of this the reputation of the police will have been hugely damaged. The evidence from senior Met officials — some retired, some serving — has not convinced the Home Affairs committee today. It is a sign of how poor relations are between the police and MPs that a Tory MP has asked the current and former assistant commissioners of the Met if he they have ever taken a bribe from a journalist. Both John Yates and Andy Hayman reacted indignantly to

Monday

James Forsyth

Where we are on phone hacking

David Cameron’s speech on public service reform is being crowded out today by all the other news about hacking. First, there was there were the emails News International has allegedly passed to the police, which apparently contain information about payments to Royal protection officers. This was followed by an angry statement from Scotland Yard claiming that there is a ‘deliberate campaign to undermine the investigation into the alleged payments by corrupt journalists to corrupt police officers and divert attention from elsewhere.’ The police statement goes on to say, ‘At various meetings over the last few weeks information was shared with us by News International and their legal representatives and it

Sunday

James Forsyth

The latest phone hacking revelations

The latest report from Robert Peston about how William Lewis has been cleaning house at News International makes for dramatic reading. Peston alleges that emails News International has been aware of since 2007 ‘appear to show Andy Coulson, editor of the News of the World from 2003-2007, authorising payments to the police for help with stories. They also appear to show that phone hacking went wider than the activities of a single rogue reporter, which was the News of the World’s claim at the time.’ Obviously, The Spectator must stress that nothing has been proved on either of these fronts. But if Peston’s report is accurate, it would also suggest that

Saturday

James Forsyth

Who knows where this will all end for politics, the press and the police

Rarely has that old adage that week is a long time in politics seemed more appropriate. Seven days ago, few of us would have predicted that we would be in the middle of a crisis that could dramatically effect how politics is run, the press are regulated and the standing of the police.  This morning is probably one of those days when, to borrow his joke from yesterday, David Cameron wants to shut down all the newspapers. The Mail and The Telegraph lay into him for his call to end self-regulation of the press. Indeed, their editorials on the matter speak to a broader anger in both papers that despite

Friday

James Forsyth

Cameron makes poor start on the long road back

This was David Cameron’s most difficult press conference since becoming Tory leader. The Prime Minister refused to distance himself from Andy Coulson, a man he said was still his friend. But this loyalty to his ‘friend’ placed Cameron in an almost impossible situation. Cameron remarked defiantly that you’d be ‘pretty unpleasant if you forgot about him’ but the longer Cameron defends Coulson and his decision to hire him, the more this scandal will stick to him. Cameron repeatedly said that he gave Coulson ‘a second chance’. This is an awful line because it sounds like Cameron thinks he deserves credit for hiring him. Cameron needs to say urgently that he

Thursday

James Forsyth

Cameron needs to move fast to regain the initiative

Westminster is rife this afternoon with rumours that there’ll soon be a high-profile arrest in the phone hacking case. For David Cameron, this issue is going to remain incredibly difficult as long as the focus remains narrowly on News International. But Cameron has one tool he can use to try and broaden out the issue, the inquiries he mentioned yesterday at PMQs. If Cameron were to move quickly on setting up judge-led public inquiries into the police and into journalistic abuses, he would regain some of the initiative. These inquiries are really the only tool he has, given that the government is hemmed in on the takeover of BSkyB as

Wednesday

James Forsyth

This scandal will inflict huge reputational damage on the police

There’s only one thing that anyone in Westminster is talking about and that’s phone hacking. But one thing worth noting is that in every conversation I have had on the subject, MPs and Ministers have stressed that the police must not be let off the hook. For some on the Labour side—as John McTernan blogs with feeling—this is personal. But for the majority of parliamentarians, there’s just a feeling that certain policemen have been too easily corrupted, for too long. If newspapers were paying police, then the newspapers have obviously behaved badly. But those who accepted bribes are guilty of a far larger breach of the public trust. I suspect