U.K. politicians demand probe into Liz Truss phone hack claim Published duration 6 October 2017 Related Topics European election 2017
The political damage to Theresa May’s leadership has been severe already, and may not be over by Wednesday. After almost an hour in the Commons, U.K. MPs are now demanding the prime minister answer questions about the police’s handling of leaked police communications.
The demands come after the Daily Mail suggested there was “no suggestion that a member of the public posed as” a policeman in messages to a private detective for illegal access to a Commons email, before the messages were released.
The MP involved had already given an assurance to police it was not the case and police have said “nothing” was done “underhand”.
Downing Street insisted it was “not a distraction for parliament”.
‘A big deal’
But many MPs are saying it is a “big deal” and could even delay her vote on the government’s Brexit deal.
“This is a big deal. It is not a distraction for parliament,” said one MP, who did not want to be named.
She said she had asked the prime minister about it a “couple of times” and he had simply said “nothing is to be done”.
The MP added: “They are saying this person was a private investigator. They have not said one way or the other if they were a police officer. If they were a police officer, in what way they might have breached the system, she needs to explain that.”
Mr Johnson said: “We are not going to be distracted by this scandal. This is, at worst, a distraction for parliament, to be fair, rather than a distraction for the country.”
He told MPs there had been a “breach in the police but not in the Commons”.
‘Big surprise’
The Sun reported on Friday that a police officer who is said to be friends