Cherie Blair sues over UK phone hacking - Graham Atkins

1. Our network Log in SUBSCRIBE World This was published 11 years ago Cherie Blair sues over UK phone hacking Ellen Branagh and James Tapsfield February 23, 2012 — 4.42am A A Save Share A Cherie Blair, the wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair, has became the latest high-profile figure to lodge a court claim over hacking of her phone. Lawyers for Cherie Blair confirmed they have issued a claim on her behalf, understood to be against News Group Newspapers. Graham Atkins, of Atkins Thomson, said: "I can confirm that we have issued a claim on behalf of Cherie Blair in relation to the unlawful interception of her voicemails." In November, Tony Blair's former communications director Alastair Campbell told the Leveson Inquiry into press standards that he believed a story the Daily Mirror published about Cherie Blair's pregnancy in 1999 may have come from hacking. He admitted he had "no evidence" that journalists intercepted either Cherie Blair's voicemails or those of her lifestyle consultant Carole Caplin, but queried the source of a number of articles about the former PM's wife. "During various periods of the time that we were in government, we were very, very concerned about how many stories about Cherie and Carole Caplin were getting out to different parts of the media," he told the inquiry. "I had no idea how they were getting out. In relation to not just Carole, and not just Cherie, but all of us who were involved in the government at that time, all sorts of stuff got out. "Some of it may have got out because people who were within the government were putting it out there. Perhaps. That does happen. "But equally there were all sorts of stories where you would just sit there scratching your head thinking, 'how the hell did that get out?'." But in January Sunday Mirror editor Tina Weaver told the inquiry that the story in the Daily Mirror came from public relations guru Max Clifford. FROM OUR PARTNERS She said: "The information came in to the then editor, Piers Morgan, and I was his deputy and he asked me to write it. "He purchased it from Max Clifford, I think that's a matter of record, and he told Mr Morgan where he received the original information from, I believe." At least 50 claims against the News of the World have now been settled, and the case of singer Charlotte Church, with her parents, James and Maria, is due to begin at London's High Court on Monday. The two-week trial before Mr Justice Vos will not just consider Church's claim that 33 articles in the now-defunct News of the World were the product of hacking into the family's voicemails - but also set out a compensation framework for future cases. News of Cherie Blair's legal action comes just days ahead of the publication of the first Sun on Sunday by News International. Speculation about a Sunday edition of the biggest-selling UK daily newspaper had been mounting since the closure of the News of the World after the hacking scandal. The announcement finally came at the weekend, amid concerns the tabloid would suffer the same fate as its sister paper after the arrests of 10 current and former senior reporters and executives since November over alleged corrupt payments to public officials. Rupert Murdoch flew to the UK last Thursday and was said to be staying to oversee the launch of his empire's newest newspaper.

2. Tom Watson MP, who sits on British parliament's culture, media and sport select committee, said if Cherie Blair had been a victim of hacking, it was a "significant milestone" in the scandal. He said: "If true, this is clearly a significant milestone in the Rupert Murdoch hacking saga. "If anything shows that Rupert Murdoch is a fair weather friend it is the fact that his operatives would target the wife of a sitting prime minister. "I am sure Mr Blair would now wish to finally go on the record and condemn Rupert Murdoch for failing to deal with industrial-scale criminal wrongdoing in his company." Save Share SMH RECOMMENDS Lifestyle TRAVELLER National Look Good Feel Better: facing cancer with confidence Visit Australia's tropical Top End It’s a $100,000 job, but nobody wants it. And it’s making you late. A lot Zoom in to the Northern Territory and thoughts of the dry, red desert sands surrounding its… When navigating a cancer diagnosis, confidence and community can go hand in hand. Your bus is delayed, or cancelled. The bus driver shortage goes on. But there’s one reason people… PROMOTED The Economist A retiring consultant’s advice on consultants Subventions Écologiques C’est voté, l’Etat paye vos panneaux solaires si vous habitez dans ces codes postau… Ma Santé Pratique Mutuelle : 87% des Français ne sont pas au courant The Economist Why China’s economy won’t be fixed The Economist A refresher on business air- travel etiquette Subventions Écologiques L'État vous offrira des panneaux solaires si vous habitez dans ces codes postaux ! Santé Actuelle Prostate gonflée : "Pratiquez chaque jour ce rituel de 30 secondes pour réduire sa taille" Top New Discounts The Gadget That's Leaving Fооt Neurоpathy Doctоrs Baffled TV Superboost Only $49 to get all the TV channels? It's now possible CODE41 A young Swiss brand is changing the face of traditional watchmaking science-actualite.com Rides après 50 ans ? Essayez ça (les Françaises sont bluffées) Assurance auto pour les malussés | Lien… Protégez-vous sur la Route : les meilleures options d'assurance auto pour les malussés OUR SITES CLASSIFIEDS THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD PRODUCTS & SERVICES The Sydney Morning Herald The Age Brisbane Times WAtoday The Australian Financial Review Domain Drive Tributes Celebrations Place your ad Commercial Real Estate Contact & support Advertise with us Newsletters Accessibility guide Sitemap Photo sales Purchase front pages Content licensing Work with us Terms of use Privacy policy Press Council Charter of Editorial Independence Subscription packages My account Subscriber FAQs Delivery status Today’s Paper Daily Crosswords & Sudoku Copyright © 2023 SUBSCRIBE