Dan Evans, Omid Scobie, Glenn Mulcaire, Graham Johnson, Emma Jones and the anonymous Private Investigator who recently featured in Hacked Off's documentary, Power Without Responsibility, are among the press whistle-blowers who have spoken out against the Prime Minister's failure to complete the promised second stage of the Leveson Inquiry.

Omid Scobie, best-selling author and journalist, testified that Piers Morgan was aware of phone hacking at the Mirror - devastating evidence, which was accepted as true by the Judge.

Dan Evans and Graham Johnson gave up careers in the traditional press and put their livelihoods on the line to expose wrongdoing and illegality in the newspaper industry.  Both they and Glenn Mulcaire faced prosecution in relation to their activities, while only one senior editor or executive has been convicted.

• Emma Jones, a journalist with previous roles at The Sun and The Mirror, is now on the Board of Hacked Off.

• An anonymous Private Investigator, who featured in ITV's Tabloids on Trial and Hacked Off's Power Without Responsibility, has said that senior individuals were aware of illegality at some titles, and that there is "a lot more to come out".

They and others have made significant personal sacrifices to expose the hacking scandal, much of which remains covered up and hidden from the public domain.

Yet, while they have spoken out, and as the evidence of further illegality in the press continues to mount, the Prime Minister remains silent.

The letter comes after it was confirmed at the trial between Prince Harry & Lord Watson and News Group Newspapers in January that The Sun newspaper was involved in the press illegality, after over a decade of denials which have now proven to be false.  This follows the revelation in 2023 when, following Scobie's evidence in claims against The Mirror Group, a Judge accepted that Piers Morgan knew about phone hacking at the title.

The Government has not given a coherent reason for its failure to proceed with Leveson Part Two, commenting only that it is "not a priority".

This letter identifies one: cowardice and, in particular, fear of adverse coverage in the press.

‍

Dear Prime Minister,

We are the whistleblowers who have faced attacks on our reputation and livelihoods after exposing illegal, corrupt or unethical practices in the British press.

We did so in the belief that politicians would have the courage and integrity to follow through on our revelations and properly investigate wrongdoing at News UK and other national newspaper publishers.  This can only happen in the form of a public inquiry.

It is deeply regrettable that our courage has been met with cowardice from various governments over the last decade, which have all failed to proceed with such an inquiry, in the form of "Leveson Part Two".

It is particularly disappointing that this Government, which was elected on a platform of change and integrity, appears to have also capitulated to newspaper owners in much the same way as the previous Conservative Government, and has yet to proceed with the inquiry.

There is a significant amount of unlawful activity which occurred at national newspaper publishers which has yet to be properly exposed.  We know because we have seen it.  And the public knows, at least to some extent, because elements of it have been confirmed in various civil cases against the press.

Yet still, your Government shelters these publishers from the accountability which only a public inquiry can provide.

Critically, the inquiry would ask questions of senior executives at these titles.  Presently, it is they who have escaped accountability for the press illegality scandals, despite enriching themselves from that illegality, while working journalists and investigators like us have suffered enormous damage to our careers, livelihoods, reputations and, in some cases, prosecution.

We know better than anyone that standing up to the newspaper industry carries risks and takes significant courage.  But we also believe that this is something that we, as those who have put themselves in the firing line, and the public, should reasonably expect of our elected representatives.

We urge you to complete this promised inquiry without further delay.

‍

‍

You can write to the PM yourself below:

‍