CONDUCT OF ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS

Early day motion 1752, tabled 15 October 2002 by Peter Bradley (Labour). Signed by 55 members.

That this House condemns Associated Newspapers for paying up to ú100,00 to Nadir Abrahams and Brian Ebden for what has been shown to be a fabricated story about Sir Alex Ferguson, and which at the time was the subject of a police inquiry; notes reports that the Police were hampered in their inquiries because of their inability to contact the complainant who was being detained by the Mail on Sunday in order to conduct its negotiations in private; further notes that this follows payment by the Daily Mail for the diaries of Jeffery Archer, a convicted perjurer; suggests that there are now no depths to which Associated Newspapers will not stoop and urges the Press Complaints Commission finally to make good on its commitment to take firm action against cheque-book journalism and its potentially corrupting influence upon legal processes.

Signatures by party: Labour 46, Labour/Co-operative 5, Liberal Democrat 2, Plaid Cymru 1, UUP 1.