Former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes has filed a claim against the Daily Mail's publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited, which alleges that the newspaper misused his private information. Specifically, it has been reported that this will include the allegation of voicemail interception, or "phone hacking".

Hacked Off Chief Executive Nathan Sparkes said,

When the Government cancelled Leveson Part Two, the public inquiry into phone hacking and police and press corruption, they argued that there was nothing more to investigate.

That defence, paper-thin at the time, is now disintegrating before our eyes.

Since then, the Daily Mail has lent its fiercely partisan support to this Government at every opportunity, and now - reportedly - they are on the brink of handing a peerage to ex-Mail editor Paul Dacre.

Leveson Part Two must be re-opened without delay and, in addition to allegations of hacking at the Mail, must also investigate how this Government came to cancelling Leveson Part Two, and any influence exerted by newspaper groups over that decision.

Contact: press@hackinginquiry.org07883 533052