The latest phone hacking revelations

The latest report from Robert Peston about how William Lewis has been cleaning house at News International makes for dramatic reading. Peston alleges that emails News International has been aware of since 2007 ‘appear to show Andy Coulson, editor of the News of the World from 2003-2007, authorising payments to the police for help with stories. They also appear to show that phone hacking went wider than the activities of a single rogue reporter, which was the News of the World’s claim at the time.’

Obviously, The Spectator must stress that nothing has been proved on either of these fronts. But if Peston’s report is accurate, it would also suggest that there must have been a determined cover-up at the company. It was not until this year that News International conceded that phone hacking had been carried out by more people than just a rogue reporter.