Phone hacking scandal - police chief quits

“Forced out,” headlines The Times, as Sir Paul Stephenson, chief of London’s Metropolitan police, becomes the latest head to roll in the ongoing News International phone-hacking saga. Stephenson’s position became untenable after the arrest of Neil Wallis, a former News of the World deputy editor during the period when phone hacking was rife at the paper. It emerged that Wallis had worked as a communications advisor to Stephenson, at a time when Scotland Yard was rejecting calls for the reopening of a criminal investigation into phone hacking by the Rupert Murdoch owned paper. The Times also notes that “Sir Paul accepted £12,000 [€13,700] of hospitality at a health retreat for which Mr Wallis carried out publicity.”

The Met chief’s resignation comes after a dramatic weekend which saw News International executive chief Rebekah Brooks quit her post. She was later arrested after being identified as a criminal suspect in Scotland Yard’s ongoing phone-hacking investigation. Brooks, along with News International’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, is due to appear before MPs on Tuesday 19 July to answer questions on the phone-hacking scandal. The Stephenson resignation spells yet more trouble for PM David Cameron, who employed as his PR former News of the World chief, Andy Coulson, also a prime suspect in the police inquiry. The Prime Minister is to “cut short his trade visit to Africa, abandoning a visit to Rwanda, to enable him to return home promptly to deal with the phone hacking scandal,” the London daily notes.