Andy Coulson’s departure from Downing Street this week is not the end of the phone hacking scandal but just the beginning, says former deputy MP John Prescott.
Writing in Tribune magazine this week, he says that while Andy Coulson’s second resignation is welcome – and vindicates his own position – the former journalist was never the main target of his legal action.
Prescott is seeking judicial review of the Met’s handling of the original case and its decision not to inform him that his own personal telephone details were found among many of private detective Glen Mulcaire’s target lists and News International invoices.
The former Deputy Prime Minister saves his ire for the Met, the CPS and even the Press Complaints Commission, all of whom he accuses of contributing – by inaction – to a “cover-up”.
When the press believes it has the right to break the law and intrude on an individual’s private conversations and the police implicitly believe there is nothing wrong in that by standing by and doing nothing, we have a fundamental attack on the democratic system.
He argues that his human rights, under Article 8 of the ECHR which protects to right to personal privacy and family life and is part of EU and UK law, have been breached and wants a substantial contribution to a charity of his choice.
