Public Confidence in the Media and Police

Duncan Hames Excerpts

Wednesday 20th July 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Although I share the hon. Gentleman’s lack of enthusiasm for the euro, we have to recognise in this country that that is where 40% of our exports go, and if there is turmoil in the eurozone it will not be good for Britain. We should be very clear about that, and we should be helpful and co-operative with our European partners to try to help them sort out their problems.

As for answering questions, I do not think that I could have given clearer answers to all the questions that Members have asked in the House. I know that a lot of hon. Members came here this afternoon trying to find some conspiracy theory—but they have looked and they have not found one.

[Duncan Hames (Chippenham) (LD)]

Yesterday my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay (Mr Sanders) tested witnesses on the term, “wilful blindness”. Does the Prime Minister agree with us that those in charge of a responsible and free press should not get away with using a wilful blindness defence to evade responsibility for their acts?

[The Prime Minister]

There is no real defence of that sort. There is going to be a police investigation—it is under way—that will ask exactly who was culpable and who knew what, when. After that is over, the second stage of the judicial inquiry will go over all that information again, not requiring the bar of criminal prosecution, and perhaps then we will get the real evidence of who knew what, when. However, we could not have tougher processes to get to the answers that people want.