Leveson Inquiry: Government Ministers To Become 'Core Participants'

PA/The Huffington Post UK  |  Posted: 04/05/2012 15:25 Updated: 04/05/2012 15:33

Eight government ministers including David Cameron will be awarded "core participant" status in the Leveson Inquiry ahead of key appearances next week.

Leveson accepted David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Vince Cable, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Ken Clarke, Theresa May and George Osborne could get advance access to evidence, but stressed the need for confidentiality, saying: "Core participant status is not intended to give an advantage to core participants… It is not intended to represent a trap for unsighted witnesses who are not core participants."

The Government will now be given the right to see Leveson Inquiry documents and witness statements in advance.

The inquiry, headed by Lord Justice Leveson heard an application at 2pm on Friday afternoon for the government to be named as a "core participant" – for those who have a significant interest in the hearings or may face criticism.

The move comes ahead of evidence next week from former News International executives Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, which could embarrass Prime Minister David Cameron.

Core participant status will also give the government the right to put questions to other witnesses through its lawyers.

Existing core participants for the inquiry's third module, looking at relations between the press and politicians, include Mrs Brooks, national newspaper groups and a number of current and former MPs.

News International boss Rupert Murdoch and its former chief executive, Murdoch's son James, are the most recent high-profile witnesses at the inquiry, which is looking into the standards of the press.

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Eight government ministers including David Cameron will be awarded "core participant" status in the Leveson Inquiry ahead of key appearances next week. Leveson accepted David Cameron, Nick Clegg, V...
Eight government ministers including David Cameron will be awarded "core participant" status in the Leveson Inquiry ahead of key appearances next week. Leveson accepted David Cameron, Nick Clegg, V...
 
 
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ThinkCreeps
Seriously, it's time.
05:17 AM on 05/08/2012
Cameron's unlikely to outwit Leveson.
Maybe he can suggest it's all settled by drinking game?
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Mickey Mouse 1
There are no lies or deceit on a chess board.
11:21 PM on 05/05/2012
Labour has the support of the Guardian and the Mirror, the Tories have the Times and the Sun...
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Mickey Mouse 1
There are no lies or deceit on a chess board.
11:02 PM on 05/05/2012
The Government will now be given the right to see Leveson Inquiry documents and witness statements in advance.

This is so they can prepare their story in advance to deal with any embarrassing admissions which may incriminate them.
06:01 PM on 05/05/2012
What was Dave saying about 'independant inquery'?
ThinkCreeps
Seriously, it's time.
05:15 AM on 05/08/2012
It's certainly his spelling.
01:22 PM on 05/05/2012
This will give them a chance to make up lies or slap an injunction on it if it does not suit them.This is another example of this rotten governments corruption and their lack of honesty and integrety.
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Mickey Mouse 1
There are no lies or deceit on a chess board.
11:04 PM on 05/05/2012
This will affect all politicians of all flavours.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
NOSHER
12:18 PM on 05/05/2012
thats all we need, it will give the government time to wangle out of the truth, ie huhne ,fox, coulson, hunt and many other criminals not been prosecuted thats the tory and lib dems
11:12 AM on 05/05/2012
"Core participant status is not intended to give an advantage to core participants… It is not intended to represent a trap for unsighted witnesses who are not core participants." ...........

Yeah - right ! So if that's the case , what's your point ? If it's not intended to give advantage to core participants , or represent a trap for unsighted witnesses who are NOT core participants , why do it at all ? (As if the great unwashed haven't realised exactly why it's being done - then Mr Justice Leveson has just told them ?) !
10:59 AM on 05/05/2012
The FIX is IN.
09:54 AM on 05/05/2012
Allowing them to prepare a better set of lies?
Another example of the level of corruption and sleeze in the ConDemnation.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jamesinraro
07:57 AM on 05/05/2012
The government, particularly Cameron's govt., wastes no opportunity to corrupt justice in his, one assumes well paid, duty to his handlers and patrons, the City banksters, Murdoch, defense contractors and the oil companies. You can now expect the hearings to devolve into a farce, like virtually all other previous hearings into abuses and corruption in the UK.
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Acesys
decaf is not an option
06:26 AM on 05/05/2012
Offer no deals to anyone connected to bribing of government officials and hacking of dead young lady's phone! Lock the Murdochs up! Their businesses could be likened to treason-for-hire.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
George McAulay
Delighted to meet you
02:09 AM on 05/05/2012
Letting the Tories see the evidence = letting Rupe and News Corpse see the evidence too

Shocking decision
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Drg40
Representative Democracy is all we have.
07:46 AM on 05/05/2012
The Murdoch's are already core participants
09:27 AM on 05/05/2012
Think you'll find it's a core principle of justice that the defendants are able to see the evidence of wrong-doing levelled against them George.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
George McAulay
Delighted to meet you
08:29 PM on 05/05/2012
They are not defendants yet; its an inquiry and Rupe and his spawn are not entitled to have prepared answers
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
wardropper
New empty micro-bio
12:40 AM on 05/05/2012
Thus undermining the entire point of the Inquiry - as we all knew must happen...
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12:23 AM on 05/05/2012
This inquiry has just become a very expensive whitewash, not unlike the police investigation into the cash for honours scandal.