Affairs in Westminster over the past two weeks has been dominated, and rightly so, by the phone hacking scandal. What has taken place is both inexcusable and illegal. Many people have contacted me to tell me how shocked and disgusted they are at the revelations that Milly Dowler’s voicemail was intercepted and that that the phones of victims of terrorist attacks and the grieving families of our brave soldiers had also been hacked.
The collective concern of the British public was mirrored in the House of Commons as MPs from all sides came together to speak with one voice and to say that enough was enough. The full force of the law should be brought down on those who have invaded people’s privacy in this inexcusable way. There is currently a major police investigation into this issue and, despite recent resignations at the Metropolitan Police Service the investigation will continue unaffected. No stone should be left unturned until those responsible for these crimes are brought to justice.
There will also be a fully independent public enquiry to examine what went wrong and how this was allowed to happen. The role of the press needs to be examined and a stronger code of conduct introduced to ensure this never happens again. Of course there needs to be stronger regulation of the press but we must also ensure that their freedom remains intact. The vast majority of journalists, and newspapers, act ethically, with the greatest integrity, and produce work of the very highest standards. A free society demands a free press but a press that works within the confines of the law.
Politics must also change. The relationship between politicians and the media must now evolve. MPs are elected to represent the views of the British people and no media proprietor should wield undue influence and power over the people’s elected representatives.
The Prime Minister recognises that the British public demand these changes and that they demand answers. He has promised that he will get to the bottom of this issue and that irrespective of where the investigation leads the authorities will follow and act. In this digital world where every day many of us through social networking sites tell the public about private matters, there must be a line drawn which should never be crossed. That line must now be cemented into the foundations of our law and the fabric of our society.