Calls for Whittingdale to lose control of press regulation
Culture Secretary John Whittingdale should have stepped aside from his involvement in press regulation as soon as he knew that several UK newspapers had become aware of his past relationship with a professional dominatrix and escort, senior labour MPs have said.
It is widely reported that four UK newspapers had been aware of Whittingdale’s relationship between 2013-14; however, despite investigations, The Independent, The Sun, Mail on Sunday and the People reportedly chose not to run the story – claiming that it was not in the public interest.
The story was first reported on crowd-funded news site Byline earlier this month, with BBC’s Newsnight finally picking it up on Tuesday.
Following mainstream leak of the story, the shadow leader of the Commons and former shadow culture secretary, Chris Bryant, told the BBC that Whittingdale should have withdrawn from any handling of press regulation because he was aware newspapers knew about his relationship with the sex worker.
“It seems the press were quite deliberately holding a sword of Damocles over John Whittingdale,” he said.
“He has a perfect right to a private life but as soon as he knew this he should have withdrawn from all regulation of the press.”
Whittingdale, who was not a cabinet minister at the time of the relationship but was chairman of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport select committee, told Newsnight that he was not aware the woman was a professional sex worker and claimed that he had met her through dating site Match.com.
He also claims that the events “never had any influence” on the decisions he has made as Culture Secretary, which includes press regulation.
However, Maria Eagle, the shadow culture secretary, said in a statement: “These revelations raise serious questions about why the secretary of state has reneged on the government’s promise to deliver the cross-party agreement on Leveson when this is something he was previously committed to as chair of the culture, media and sport select committee.
“John Whittingdale must now clarify exactly why he no longer believes that Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act should be commenced and why he has failed to get on with Part II of the Leveson inquiry.
“In order for the public to have any confidence in the government’s approach to press regulation and to allay any concerns about perceptions of any undue influence, the secretary of state must now rescue himself from any decision making over this matter, just as Vince Cable was removed from deciding media policy in the last parliament.”
Writing in Mediatel Newsline on Wednesday, media journalist Raymond Snoddy said the public would see an “implied Faustian pact” between Whittingdale and the press – and that newspapers may have turned a blind eye in return for favourable regulation.
“At last year’s Society of Editors conference the Culture Secretary said he was minded to give the current self-regulation of the press under IPSO a chance to prove itself, despite overwhelming Parliamentary votes in favour of implementing significant recommendations for reform from Lord Justice Leveson,” said Snoddy.
“Crucially for the press the Leveson proposal that newspapers would have to pay all the expenses even in libel cases that they won, was not included in legislation.”
The Hacked Off campaigner Brian Cathcart also said Whittingdale was now “compromised” as culture secretary.
“There is absolutely no doubt about it, he is compromised,” he told the Press Association.
“He knew the press were on to him and he didn’t tell the prime minister, and we would like to know more about how much he knew. He knew that at least one newspaper had this story – was he approached by other newspapers? Did he ever wonder why they didn’t run the story?”