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| Scotland Yard pressed on Johnson's contact with News International | Scotland Yard pressed on Johnson's contact with News International |
| (8 days later) | |
| The head of Scotland Yard has been pressed to reveal whether police knew that London mayor Boris Johnson was in touch with News International figures in the midst of their investigation into phone hacking after a series of previously undisclosed conversations by the mayor, including with Rebekah Brooks and James Murdoch, came to light. | The head of Scotland Yard has been pressed to reveal whether police knew that London mayor Boris Johnson was in touch with News International figures in the midst of their investigation into phone hacking after a series of previously undisclosed conversations by the mayor, including with Rebekah Brooks and James Murdoch, came to light. |
| The Labour group on the London assembly sent a letter to Met chief Bernard Hogan-Howe asking him to give a guarantee that he is confident that none of the information that may have been passed on by officers in relation to the case to the mayor had been shared. | The Labour group on the London assembly sent a letter to Met chief Bernard Hogan-Howe asking him to give a guarantee that he is confident that none of the information that may have been passed on by officers in relation to the case to the mayor had been shared. |
| The mayor, who will make a keynote speech to the Tory party conference in Birmingham on Tuesday, fought for nearly a year and a half against releasing the diary's content before being forced to do so by the information commissioner. Details published in the Observer on Sunday revealed the existence of a number of phone calls and meetings the London mayor had not previously reported to the assembly nor admitted to in response to freedom of information requests. They were found to include conversations with Rebekah Brooks, her husband, Charlie Brooks, and the News International lobbyist Frederic Michel. | The mayor, who will make a keynote speech to the Tory party conference in Birmingham on Tuesday, fought for nearly a year and a half against releasing the diary's content before being forced to do so by the information commissioner. Details published in the Observer on Sunday revealed the existence of a number of phone calls and meetings the London mayor had not previously reported to the assembly nor admitted to in response to freedom of information requests. They were found to include conversations with Rebekah Brooks, her husband, Charlie Brooks, and the News International lobbyist Frederic Michel. |
| The conversations took place as the phone-hacking scandal was in full swing, and, on two occasions, just days after Johnson, who as mayor has oversight of policing in London, had spoken to the then assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, John Yates, who in 2009 decided no further investigation was required following the original phone-hacking investigation. | The conversations took place as the phone-hacking scandal was in full swing, and, on two occasions, just days after Johnson, who as mayor has oversight of policing in London, had spoken to the then assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, John Yates, who in 2009 decided no further investigation was required following the original phone-hacking investigation. |
| The previously undisclosed contacts show that Mayor Johnson was in contact with News International senior executives in the days following meetings with the key police officer connected with the phone-hacking investigation. They include: | The previously undisclosed contacts show that Mayor Johnson was in contact with News International senior executives in the days following meetings with the key police officer connected with the phone-hacking investigation. They include: |
| • Boris Johnson spoke to Rebekah Brooks, News International's then chief executive, on the telephone on 28 April 2011. A week earlier met with John Yates, the Met's assistant commissioner, to discuss "policing and security". Yates was the senior detective responsible for reviewing the phone-hacking files in 2009 and 2010 following investigations by the Guardian and the New York Times that concluded hacking was widely used by the News of the World. | • Boris Johnson spoke to Rebekah Brooks, News International's then chief executive, on the telephone on 28 April 2011. A week earlier met with John Yates, the Met's assistant commissioner, to discuss "policing and security". Yates was the senior detective responsible for reviewing the phone-hacking files in 2009 and 2010 following investigations by the Guardian and the New York Times that concluded hacking was widely used by the News of the World. |
| • That the mayor of London also held a telephone conversation with James Murdoch, the chairman of News International, on 6 May 2011. That came three days after he met with Yates again, again for a meeting to discuss unspecified policing issues. | • That the mayor of London also held a telephone conversation with James Murdoch, the chairman of News International, on 6 May 2011. That came three days after he met with Yates again, again for a meeting to discuss unspecified policing issues. |
| Johnson's office stressed over the weekend that the conversations had not been made public before because they were either commercially sensitive or outside the range of freedom of information requests, which had specifically asked about the existence of meetings, not conversations. | Johnson's office stressed over the weekend that the conversations had not been made public before because they were either commercially sensitive or outside the range of freedom of information requests, which had specifically asked about the existence of meetings, not conversations. |
| A close aide to Johnson strongly denied phone hacking was discussed. "As we have clearly said, there was no discussion about phone hacking during any of these discussions". | A close aide to Johnson strongly denied phone hacking was discussed. "As we have clearly said, there was no discussion about phone hacking during any of these discussions". |
| But Len Duvall, leader of the Labour group on the London assembly, said it was "stretching incredulity" to believe that the biggest scandal to engulf the company did not come up during the conversations, and sent a letter to Hogan-Howe to seek assurances. | But Len Duvall, leader of the Labour group on the London assembly, said it was "stretching incredulity" to believe that the biggest scandal to engulf the company did not come up during the conversations, and sent a letter to Hogan-Howe to seek assurances. |
| Duvall said: "These meetings coincide with key periods in the police's investigation into phone-hacking, it is stretching incredulity to believe that the biggest scandal to engulf the company was not discussed at any of these meetings. | Duvall said: "These meetings coincide with key periods in the police's investigation into phone-hacking, it is stretching incredulity to believe that the biggest scandal to engulf the company was not discussed at any of these meetings. |
| "The heart of the matter is simple, Boris has had regular contact with very senior individuals from a company that was under intense public scrutiny and police investigation for appalling behaviour, which is now the subject of criminal proceedings. The mayor needs to be absolutely clear about what he said to who, when and why. We have heard too many times that all such meetings have been declared, these latest revelations are just another example of Boris's arrogance." | "The heart of the matter is simple, Boris has had regular contact with very senior individuals from a company that was under intense public scrutiny and police investigation for appalling behaviour, which is now the subject of criminal proceedings. The mayor needs to be absolutely clear about what he said to who, when and why. We have heard too many times that all such meetings have been declared, these latest revelations are just another example of Boris's arrogance." |
| A close aide to Johnson dismissed the letter as "politically motivated". | A close aide to Johnson dismissed the letter as "politically motivated". |
| "You would have to question the motivation and timing of this letter. This nonsense is clearly politically motivated. It is ridiculous." | "You would have to question the motivation and timing of this letter. This nonsense is clearly politically motivated. It is ridiculous." |
| The aide added: "While the mayor fully recognises that his office should and will as open and accountable as possible, at the end of the day there are 7000 entries in his diary and we redacted just 33 entries for commercially sensitive reasons. Individuals and companies have a right to privacy where negotiations are under way." | The aide added: "While the mayor fully recognises that his office should and will as open and accountable as possible, at the end of the day there are 7000 entries in his diary and we redacted just 33 entries for commercially sensitive reasons. Individuals and companies have a right to privacy where negotiations are under way." |
| • This article was amended on 9 October 2012 to make it clear that former assistant commissioner John Yates had no involvement in the original phone hacking inquiry. His involvement came in July 2009 when, at the request of the then Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson, he looked into whether new evidence had come to light. He concluded that it hadn't and that no further investigation was required. | • This article was amended on 9 October 2012 to make it clear that former assistant commissioner John Yates had no involvement in the original phone hacking inquiry. His involvement came in July 2009 when, at the request of the then Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson, he looked into whether new evidence had come to light. He concluded that it hadn't and that no further investigation was required. |
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