Hacked Off Board Director and press abuse victim Mandy Garner has asked for courage and clarity from the Secretary of State for Culture in the wake of an interview setting out her thoughts on press standards. Concerns were raised that the Labour Government may have done a "secret deal" with the Murdoch Press and were set to betray their promise of press reform, following the article. Responding to the Lisa Nandy's recent interview with House magazine, which did not allude to such a deal but did not rule it out she said:

“I and other victims of press abuse welcome the Secretary of State’s acknowledgement, in an interview with House magazine published yesterday, that it is essential that independent press regulation is in place to protect the public from wrongdoing and restore standards in the media. While victims were betrayed by the abandonment of Leveson Part Two by a Conservative government who operated in the pockets of the press and put their interests above those of the public, the Labour Party has long promised that it would proceed with the Inquiry."Anything less would be an extraordinary failure of political courage and take us back to the days of previous administrations, under which corrupt relationships thrived between politicians and newspapers, of blackmail, back-scratching, and of newspapers acting unethically and with impunity."

On reports of a "secret deal" between Murdoch and Labour:

“News UK hacked peoples’ phones, stole their personal data, illegally invaded peoples’ lives, and attempted to cover it up.  They are facing live lawsuits from bereaved people and victims of crime. "Victims received iron-clad assurances that no deals between the Party and representatives of News UK, or any other publisher, have been made, and we expect the Government to confirm that this is the case. "Sir Keir Starmer has said this will be a Government of integrity, which will put the public first.  We look forward to that integrity being made evident to us as victims of the most appalling crimes and intrusions, who should not have to worry about "secret deals" being conducted with newspaper proprietors behind our backs."