Piers Morgan is to give evidence to the Leveson inquiry into media ethics and phone hacking, it has been announced.

Lord Justice Leveson told the inquiry on Thursday that the former editor of the Daily Mirror would be asked to give evidence on what he knew about the prevalence of phone hacking on Fleet Street.

Morgan also faces questions about whether hacking happened at the Mirror during his watch.

Giving evidence to the inquiry, media lawyer Mark Thompson said he believed the illegal hacking of voicemails went beyond the News of the World.

"Heather Mills has confirmed to me that a person other than Piers Morgan admitted to her at the Mirror group that her phone had been accessed," he said.

Morgan has always vigorously denied that hacking went on at his newspapers, previously saying: “For the record, in my time at the News of the World and the Mirror, I have never hacked a phone, told anyone to hack a phone, or published any stories based on the hacking of a phone."

But Thompson highlighted an interview conducted by Morgan with super model Naomi Campbell in which he implies he knew hacking was widespread.

During the interview Campbell turns the tables on Morgan and asks him questions to ask him about hacking.

"Loads of newspaper journalists were doing it. Clive Goodman, the NotW reporter, has been made the scapegoat for a very widespread practice," Morgan replied.

Morgan's GQ interviews were also the subject of the inquiry yesterday, when comedian Steve Coogan said the former editor's interviewing technique was "a little" intrusive

Coogan added: "But it's Piers Morgan, so it's what you expect when he interviews you." In GQ Morgan noted that he met Coogan in an "excruciatingly trendy" London club.

There was a rare moment of laughter in the inquiry as Coogan told the room: "He chose the venue."

Morgan commented on Coogan's remarks with a single Tweet referencing the comedian's best known catchphrase.

@piersmorgan
Piers Morgan

A-ha!

November 22, 2011 3:11 pm via web Reply Retweet Favorite

The talkshow host who now works for CNN in the United States, has yet to respond to the news that Leveson wants him to appear at the inquiry.