International   

E-mails at the heart of banned BBC story

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: An internal Downing Street e-mail allegedly suggesting a "cover-up'' in the cash-for-peerages scandal was at the heart of a news report which the BBC was banned from airing on Friday night.

"The details obtained by the BBC could have been central to the investigation into an alleged Downing Street cover-up over the cash-for-honours affair,'' said the corporation amid accusations that the Government was trying was trying to "gag'' the media.

The row erupted on Friday night when minutes before the BBC was to air the report on 10 O' Clock News, Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith got an injunction from the High Court restraining it on grounds that it was likely to "impede'' the police investigation.

The BBC insisted that the story was a matter of "legitimate public interest.'' While the BBC itself refrained from commenting further, Sunday newspapers said the Corporation was "shocked'' and its first reaction was to challenge the ban but it dropped the idea.

"BBC chiefs were shocked at the Draconian nature of the injunction... .The 10 O' Clock News was at first told that it could not even mention the fact that the injunction had been served, and was only able to report the gag after hours of legal argument,'' The Sunday Telegraph said.

The newspaper also claimed that the contentious E-mail was "understood to relate to Ruth Turner, head of Government relations [in Downing Street], and Lord Levy, Labour's chief fundraiser, who have both been arrested over the alleged awarding of honours in return for big loans to the party.''

Both Ms. Turner and Lord Levy are on bail and deny any wrongdoing.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

China, Sri Lanka ink deal to develop Hambantota
China's Parliament session from today
E-mails at the heart of banned BBC story
The mother of all dummies
Wrong signals, China cautions America
16 civilians die in U.S. troop fire
Travel by sea also aggravates global warming
Rebel vows to fight on
Kanishka bombing: probe to resume today
Hurley-Nayar give guests a royal Bollywood treat

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu