Reports that Matter

An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press

APPENDICES

Section 125 of 140

APPENDICES

Mr Evgeny Lebedev 19/5-21/4, http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ 2012/04/Transcript-of-Afternoon-Hearing-23-April-2012.pdf

  1. Development and maintenance of an over close relationship between politicians and national

Newspapers

Conclusion (i) The political parties of UK national government, and of UK official opposition, have had or developed too close a relationship with the press. This conclusion relates at least to the period of the last thirty to thirty-five years. Although aspects, and the problematic nature, of this relationship have fluctuated over time, there has been a perceptible increase in proximity which has not been in the public interest. (ii) The relationship between the press and the politicians has been too close in the following principal respects: a. politicians have spent a disproportionate amount of time, attention and resource on this relationship in comparison to, and at the expense of, other legitimate claims in relation to their conduct of public affairs; b. in conducting their relationship with the press, politicians have not always maintained with adequate rigour appropriate boundaries between the conduct of public affairs on the one hand and their private or personal interests on the other;

Evidence base and factual summary Mrs Sly Bailey: • 118/8-119/4, on access to politicians, esp. "if you are the editor of a national newspaper you can pretty much get to see whomever you want to", http://www.levesoninquiry.org. uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Transcript-of-Afternoon-Hearing-16-January-20121.pdf

Mr Aidan Barclay: • paras 37, 40-43, 47, 48, on his contact with senior politicians, http://www.levesoninquiry. org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Witness-Statement-of-Aidan-Barclay.pdf; http:// www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Appendix-D-to-Witness- Statement-of-Aidan-Barclay.pdf • 71/17-79/18, 83/18-88/24, 89/2-90/1, 100/1-101/14, on his contact with senior politicians, including text messages, levels of access, sufficiency of transparency, and privileged position of the media, http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ Transcript-of-Afternoon-Hearing-23-April-2012.pdf • 94/6-95/20, 100/1-100/24, on Liam Fox and David Davis requesting meetings with him at the time of the Conservative Party's last leadership contest, and on the privileged position of the media, http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ Transcript-of-Afternoon-Hearing-23-April-2012.pdf

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Appendix 5 | Evidence Relevant to the Generic Conclusions on the Relationship Between Politicians and the Press: Part I Chapter 8

The Right Honourable Tony Blair: • list of meetings with proprietors and editors, http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2012/05/Second-Exhibit-to-Witness-Statement-of-Tony-Blair.pdf • 35/13-36/25, on the degree of proximity between the press and politicians, http://www.

levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Transcript-of-Morning-Hearing-28-May-2012.pdf • 9/8-11/14, 87/18-89/8, View (from his speech of 12 June 2007) that inordinate attention paid to the media, courting the media in the run up to the 1997 election, http://www.

levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Transcript-of-Morning-Hearing-28-May-2012.pdf

Mrs Rebekah Brooks: • para 43-4, 48, 53-55, 57, 58, 65-66, on the frequency of her contact with senior politicians, http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Second-Witness-Statement-of-Rebekah-Brooks.pdf • 24/14-45/16, on her proximity to Tony Blair, Gordon and Sarah Brown, http://www.

levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Transcript-of-Morning-Hearing-11-May-2012.pdf • 45/17- 50/9, 73/16-81/18, 82/10-82/14, on her proximity to David Cameron and George

Osborne, http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Transcriptof-Morning-Hearing-11-May-2012.pdf • 91/16-91/23, on lobbying against the amendment to s55 Data Protection Act, http://www.

levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Transcript-of-Morning-Hearing-11-May-2012.pdf • 94/18-98/5, on politicians' desire to get close to Rupert Murdoch, and her own friendships with politicians, http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/

Transcript-of-Morning-Hearing-11-May-2012.pdf • 6/2-8/2, on messages of support from politicians, 20/22-21/7, political attendees at her

40th birthday party, http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/

Transcript-of-Morning-Hearing-11-May-2012.pdf • paras 30-32, 40-44, on her relationship with public figures, working relationships and friendships, http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Second-Witness-Statement-of-Rebekah-Brooks.pdf • para 35, on the relationship between press and politicians, http://www.levesoninquiry.

org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Second-Witness-Statement-of-Rebekah-Brooks.pdf • 53-63, 65-68, on contact with recent prime ministers and their families, http://www.

levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Second-Witness-Statement-of-Rebekah-Brooks.pdf • 31/25-32/14, on The Sun being the first to receive scoops http://www.levesoninquiry.org.

uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Transcript-of-Morning-Hearing-11-May-2012.pdf

The Right Honourable Gordon Brown MP: • list of meetings with the media, http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2012/06/Exhibit-GB3-to-Witness-Statement-of-Gordon-Brown-MP.pdf

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