By Nathan Sparkes

Claimants in the trial against the Daily Mail’s publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited, have accused Victoria Newton of repeatedly commissioning private investigators who illegally spied on the targets of her stories.  Ms Newton, who was employed by the Daily Mail in 2002-2003, is now the editor of The Sun newspaper and news website, the second most popular news website in the UK after the BBC.

The Mail argue that the sources for Newton’s stories were “confidential”, and that no wrongdoing occurred.  But astonishingly, Ms Newton has not been called to give evidence to back up the Mail’sdenials.  As a result, the claimants argue that this defence is unsustainable.

The implications for the trial could be significant for the whole news media industry in the UK.

If the Mail are found to have engaged in unlawful activity, there will be renewed calls for Leveson Part Two, the promised public inquiry into press illegality.  This Inquiry was repeatedly promised by the Labour Party in Opposition, but there was an apparent change of heart in the run-up to the 2024 General Election, at which point Sir Keir Starmer began to say it was no longer a “priority”.

There will also be further calls for mandatory independent regulation for the news media.  Presently, most newspapers are not regulated, but are instead members of a body called IPSO, which is controlled by the press itself.  IPSO has never investigated or fined a single newspaper.

The case could also have significant implications for some of the named individuals.  Several people denied the Mail was involved in illegal activity at Leveson Part One; if it is found that illegality did occur and they had reason to know about it, there could be calls for police action.

Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail, deny all wrongdoing.