Media Comes Under Fire From MPs

Ron Davies, the former secretary of state for Wales who early last week resigned from the cabinet after an incident on Clapham Common, yesterday attacked the media in a commons statement.

Amid much confusion and speculation, Mr Davies resigned last week after he was reportedly robbed of his car and his possessions on Clapham Common. Describing the incident as ‘a severe error of judgement’, the former Welsh secretary has since failed to shed any more light on the events of that night, sparking speculation in the press that drugs and gay sex were involved.

In his address to the Commons yesterday, Mr Davies condemned the press and its treatment of the succession of events: “The shock of the events of last Monday and the sadness of my resignation have been added to by media intrusion into my private life, reporting as fact a stream of rubbish.

“Rumour and lies have been asserted as truth.”

He continued: “We all have rights. We also have responsibilities, and this applies to the media as well. The media has the right to freedom but it must carry the responsibility to exercise that right judiciously.”

After speculation throughout the week over Mr Davie’s sexuality, he added: “We are what we are. We are all different, the products both of our genes and our experiences. Members of Parliament are no different from the society we represent.”

In a separate incident, the BBC came under fire this week after an allegation made on Newsnight that Peter Mandelson was ‘certainly gay’. Although Mr. Mandelson was apparently unperturbed by the incident, the broadcaster issued a memo stating that no further references were to be made to the private life of the minister. The memo was received with incredulity by broadcasters, politicians and spokespeople alike, prompting accusations of censorship, and was described by Mo Mowlam as ‘a serious error on behalf of the BBC.’