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| Mail on Sunday reporter gatecrashes Miliband family memorial service | Mail on Sunday reporter gatecrashes Miliband family memorial service |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Ed Miliband has written to the proprietor of the Mail on Sunday, Lord Rothermere, asking whether the common line of decency has been breached by one of the paper's reporters, who gatecrashed a memorial service for his uncle. | Ed Miliband has written to the proprietor of the Mail on Sunday, Lord Rothermere, asking whether the common line of decency has been breached by one of the paper's reporters, who gatecrashed a memorial service for his uncle. |
| Miliband, locked in a row with the Daily Mail over a claim his father hated Britain, spoke at the memorial service on Wednesday. | Miliband, locked in a row with the Daily Mail over a claim his father hated Britain, spoke at the memorial service on Wednesday. |
| His letter represents a sharp escalation in the row between the Labour leader and the Mail group. He urges Rothermere to conduct an investigation into who was responsible for the latest episode and "who is responsible for the culture and practices of these newspapers which jar so badly with the values of your readers". | His letter represents a sharp escalation in the row between the Labour leader and the Mail group. He urges Rothermere to conduct an investigation into who was responsible for the latest episode and "who is responsible for the culture and practices of these newspapers which jar so badly with the values of your readers". |
| He wrote in his letter that he spoke at the service held at Guy's hospital in London for his uncle, Professor Harry Keen, a distinguished doctor who died earlier this year. | He wrote in his letter that he spoke at the service held at Guy's hospital in London for his uncle, Professor Harry Keen, a distinguished doctor who died earlier this year. |
| "It was an event in a room on the 29th floor of Guy's hospital which was attended only by family members, close friends and colleagues," he wrote. "I was told by one of my relatives late yesterday evening that a reporter from the Mail on Sunday had found her way into the event uninvited. I also discovered that, once there, she approached members of my family seeking comments on the controversy over the Daily Mail's description of my late father as someone who 'hated Britain'. | "It was an event in a room on the 29th floor of Guy's hospital which was attended only by family members, close friends and colleagues," he wrote. "I was told by one of my relatives late yesterday evening that a reporter from the Mail on Sunday had found her way into the event uninvited. I also discovered that, once there, she approached members of my family seeking comments on the controversy over the Daily Mail's description of my late father as someone who 'hated Britain'. |
| "My wider family, who are not in public life, feel understandably appalled and shocked that this can have happened. | "My wider family, who are not in public life, feel understandably appalled and shocked that this can have happened. |
| "The editor of the Mail on Sunday has since confirmed to my office that a journalist from his newspaper did indeed attend the memorial uninvited with the intention of seeking information for publication this weekend. | "The editor of the Mail on Sunday has since confirmed to my office that a journalist from his newspaper did indeed attend the memorial uninvited with the intention of seeking information for publication this weekend. |
| "Sending a reporter to my late uncle's memorial crosses a line of common decency. I believe it a symptom of the culture and practices of both the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. There are many decent people working at those newspapers and I know that many of them will be disgusted by this latest episode. But they will also recognise that what has happened to my family has happened to many others. | "Sending a reporter to my late uncle's memorial crosses a line of common decency. I believe it a symptom of the culture and practices of both the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. There are many decent people working at those newspapers and I know that many of them will be disgusted by this latest episode. But they will also recognise that what has happened to my family has happened to many others. |
| "I believe no purpose would be served by me complaining to the Press Complaints Commission because it is widely discredited. Instead, I am writing to you as the owners of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday because I believe it is long overdue that you reflect on the culture of your newspapers." | "I believe no purpose would be served by me complaining to the Press Complaints Commission because it is widely discredited. Instead, I am writing to you as the owners of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday because I believe it is long overdue that you reflect on the culture of your newspapers." |
| Miliband called for an investigation, saying: "There are bigger issues for the people of Britain in the midst of the worst cost of living crisis for a century than intrusion into the life of my family. But the reaction of many people to the Daily Mail's attacks on my father this week demonstrates that the way your newspapers have behaved does not reflect the real character of our country. It is now your responsibility to respond." | Miliband called for an investigation, saying: "There are bigger issues for the people of Britain in the midst of the worst cost of living crisis for a century than intrusion into the life of my family. But the reaction of many people to the Daily Mail's attacks on my father this week demonstrates that the way your newspapers have behaved does not reflect the real character of our country. It is now your responsibility to respond." |
| Labour sources insisted the main service was a private event and it is understood the reporter learned about the service from somebody's Facebook page. | |
| The reporter at one point held the hand of one of the grieving relatives and then twice asked her to comment on Ralph Miliband, the source said. She refused to do so. | |
| The source said that Geordie Greig, the Mail on Sunday's editor, confirmed the reporter had been sent by the newspaper's executives and on Wednesday evening was deeply apologetic. However his attitude appears to have changed overnight, following internal discussions at the paper. | |
| Labour sources are also suggesting that this was not a battle about newspaper regulation, but a fight to change the culture and practices at some newspapers. | |
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