Labour has demanded the government reverse its decision to cancel the second part of the Leveson inquiry into the press after a series of allegations were made by a former “blagger” about his 15 years of work on behalf of the Sunday Times.



Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, told the Commons that the activities of John Ford, who worked off the books for the newspaper for 15 years, including obtaining bank and phone records by deception, demonstrated that an additional inquiry was necessary.

In an urgent question, he accused the culture secretary, Matt Hancock, of “capitulating to the press barons who want to use their raw power to close down a national public inquiry”.

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Watson said: “So I would like to ask him, in light of these new allegations, will he reconsider his decision on the public inquiry into illegality in the press? If not, then how will he assure this house and the public that these new allegations of criminal behaviour by the Sunday Times will be fully investigated?”

Hancock said it was a “matter for the police to follow up any evidence of criminal wrongdoing”, and the allegations were historical because they covered a period between 1995 and 2010. He said Ford’s allegations were covered by the original Leveson inquiry, although his name was mentioned only once in the proceedings in 2011 and 2012.

Hancock said Watson was asking: “Should we therefore bring in an inquiry which is backward-looking and bring in rules which will help to undermine further the free press that we need?”

Ford told the Guardian in an extensive interview that he conned his way into obtaining the bank details and other financial records of a host of targets, including members of Tony Blair’s cabinet, at the behest of more than 10 journalists at the Sunday Times. Politicians and aides he targeted included Blair, Gordon Brown, William Hague and Alastair Campbell.

Ken Clarke, the Conservative former minister, said he was disappointed with Hancock’s decision, reflecting some unease on the government benches. “Does he really think there is no longer any sufficient public interest in new allegations of this kind?”

He added: “Does he think that the best newspapers in the country would accept that judgment if it was applied to any other sector of the economy. We have public inquiries looking into much older allegations of sexual abuse.”

Ford held a press conference after the parliamentary debate saying his revelations demonstrated the need for a further inquiry. He said John Witherow, who edited the Sunday Times from 1994 to 2013 and now edits the Times, had “serious questions to answer”, although Ford himself never met Witherow and was never instructed by him.

The former deputy prime minister John Prescott, who was one of those named by Ford as a target, said he was taking legal advice. “Are these stories true? Did the Sunday Times act in the way he said it did?” he asked.

Prescott said Ford, who was introduced to the Guardian by Byline Media, had claimed to have looked into his bank accounts and his rubbish. “He said he did it. I want to know what the truth is.”

News UK, in a statement, denied it had retained or commissioned any individual to act illegally.