The Home Secretary Theresa May will make a statement to parliament tomorrow after a number of politicians expressed concern about the Metropolitan Police's links to News International.
Speaking on Sunday Morning Nick Clegg said the Metropolitan Police had “very serious” questions to answer about their relationship wtih former News of the World journalist turned PR consultant Neil Wallis. Wallis was hired as a PR consultant for the police after he left News International.
The Deputy Prime Minister told the BBC: “When the public starts losing faith in the police it’s altogether much more serious…The commissioner should answer the questions that are being put to him by the home secretary.”
Clegg added: “They are very serious questions and they need to be answered very fully and very seriously by them.”
Police have denied that commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson's fix week stay in luxury health resort Champneys was arranged by Wallis - who was arrested last week.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also said there was a “cloud” over the Met as a result of the allegations, telling the BBC:
“You have got to have confidence in the way policing is taking place, you have got to have public respect for police as well. Sir Paul Stephenson needs to act on this but so too does the Home Secretary.
“If she has confidence in the police she needs to say so and not simply hide and wait for this to go away.”
Cooper urged Home Secretary Theresa May to pursue the issue immediately, saying “she can’t just leave this to the judicial inquiry”.
Their comments came as Sunday's national newspapers carry another apology from News International and it was revealed over 80% of people believe that News International's other newspapers - the Sun, the Sunday Times and the Times - have been damaged by the scandal, according to a ComRes poll.