• Actor and MP to be among first to have cases heard • Court told senior NoW exec ordered hacking of Law's phone

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

Actor Jude Law and Labour MP Chris Bryant are now among the first people who will have their legal action against the News of the World over alleged phone hacking heard by the high court.

The court also heard allegations that a senior News of the World executive, who was not named, had ordered private detective Glenn Mulcaire to hack into Jude Law's phone.

News Group Newspapers, the publisher of the News of the World, denied this was the case.

The pair are the newest names to be included among five test cases chosen by high court judge Mr Justice Vos, also including former Sky Sports pundit Andy Gray, agent Sky Andrew and interior designer Kelly Hoppen.

Sienna Miller, the actor, was due to be among those whose case was heard until she accepted a £100,000 settlement from the newspaper last week.

A secondary list of five claimants has also been drawn up in the event that further people drop out. They include comedian Steve Coogan, former footballer Paul Gascoigne, Max Clifford's former assistant Nicola Phillips, ex-MP George Galloway and Mary-Ellen Field, former adviser to model Elle Macpherson.

The judge said the cases would enable him to decide the damages that were properly payable across a range of alleged factual situations, and make it possible for other cases to be resolved without the need for further hearings.

He added that the trial would cover the issues of "what was agreed to be done, by whom, for what purpose, over what period and who was involved".

Miller accepted £100,000 compensation from the News of the World earlier this month after it accepted unconditional liability for her phone-hacking claims.

The actor was the first celebrity to settle a claim since the tabloid last month admitted hacking the phones of several public figures. It is estimated that £20m has been earmarked for payouts.

A number of other high-profile names, including former culture secretary Tessa Jowell, have received apologies from the paper.

Since January, when the Metropolitan police reopened its inquiry into claims that staff hacked into the messages of celebrities and politicians, three News of the World journalists have been arrested.

Scotland Yard has endured repeated criticism over its handling of the original phone-hacking inquiry, which led to the conviction of News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire in 2007.

The cases are expected to be heard next year.

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