With new phone hacking allegations against the News of the World filed with the High Court this week, the Financial Times’ leader column today claims “there remains a need for a deeper inquiry” into the activities of the newspaper under the leadership of Andy Coulson. With Scotland Yard announcing that the investigation remains closed, the influential paper questions the enthusiasm of Inspector Knacker to mount a proper inquiry:
One puzzling aspect of this affair has been the reluctance of the police to pursue a wider investigation into hacking at the News of the World. This is in spite of claims by a variety of parties that they have ample evidence, including phone records and data belonging to public figures.
But the complete lack of cojones on the part of the police comes as no surprise to Scrapbook. As our montage of newspaper front pages went viral in the wake of the tuition fees protests one in particular raised our eyebrows: Murdoch’s other British red top used the incident as a pretext to launch a searingly personal attack on Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson. With a front page and double inside spread - complete with pictures of senior officers - The Sun screamed:
BRAINLESS … that’s the yobs who hijacked uni demo AND Met chief who let them
I (DIDN’T) PREDICT A RIOT. Top cop ‘embarassed’
Indeed, as more evidence landed on Scotland Yard’s doorstep, The Guardian reported one internal press officer “waving his arms in the air” as he stressed the primacy of the department’s “long-term relationship with News International”.
Is it any surprise the Met are running scared?
