Watson Dodges Questions on Committee Leak
WATCH: Watson Dodges Questions on Committee Leak
Fearless campaigner for transparency Tom Watson signed a commercial contract with a Allen Lane to co-write a book that will generate earnings, but he has not declared this contract to Parliament. Since the book’s subject matter relates directly to his work as a member of the Culture Select Committee, this lack of transparency is doubly odd. Watson is profiting while quoting Bob Dylan and grandstanding on the Committee…
When Guido raised this earlier Watson went on the attack, forcing the Chairman of the Committee to rein him in. One thing for was clear – Watson didn’t want to talk about it:
Dial M for Murdoch came out well before today’s report, yet page 312 explicitly states that the Committee would find that News International had misled Parliament – it was a leak from a position of privilege with commercial implications. John Whittingdale, the Committee chairman, said he did not know of any breach committed by Watson – well now he does. Not only has Watson undermined Parliament, but he did so to line his pockets. A fit person for the committee?
Watson Revealed Committee Findings In Book
Dial S for Special Access
Watson Revealed Committee Findings In Book
Given that the Culture Select Committee report into phonehacking is months overdue, Guido has popped along to their press conference to ask whether the Committee had any objections to one of their members – Tom Watson – publishing his own version of events last week for commercial gain.
Guido wonders whether any of the Select Committee raised objections to Watson publishing his weighty tome “Dial M for Murdoch” before today’s report was finalised, and what assurances the Chairman had sought that Watson would not take advantage of his privileged access to the Committee, especially as the conclusions of the report – that News International executives mislead parliament – is revealed on Page 312 of the book. Answers to follow, hopefully…
UPDATE:
So Tom Watson didnt want to answer why on page 312 of his book he revealed the committee would find that News Int execs had misled parli
Guido seems to have hit a nerve, instead of replying, Watson went on the attack. The Chairman said most of the infomation was public, but that does not explain Watson revealing that the Committee would rule NI mislead Parliament. It makes a mockery of Parliament as Christ Bryant might say…
Executives Crone, Hinton, Myler Gave Misleading Testimony Media Committee: Clears James Murdoch of Misleading Them
Executives Crone, Hinton, Myler Gave Misleading Testimony
On the specific point of misleading the DCMS committee James Murdoch is cleared. The report, on the basis of party political split vote, does however claim that Rupert Murdoch is “not a fit person” to exercise stewardship of a major international company and that James Murdoch showed “wilful ignorance” of the extent of phone hacking during 2009 and 2010. Tory members of the committee are basically saying Watson went over the top and they could not give unanimous backing to the report.
Download the full report here.
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