8 March 2012

Leveson Inquiry: Module 2 - Press/Police - Day 7

Lord Justice Leveson
"The focus of the Inquiry is ‘the culture, practices and ethics of the press’ in the context of the latter’s relationship with the public, the police and politicians. All of these matters overlap, and my goal must be to consider what lessons, if any, may be learned from past events and what recommendations, if any, should be made for the future, in particular as regards press regulation, governance and other systems of oversight."


Module 2
 

"The relationship between the press and the police and the extent to which that has operated in the public interest."

Useful Links:
Leveson Inquiry Witness Statements HERE 
Leveson Inquiry Witness Lists HERE
Video Recordings of each day's proceedings HERE
Live Feed From Leveson Inquiry Site HERE
BBC Democracy Live Feed HERE 
Telegraph Live Blog HERE
Guardian Live Blog HERE

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 Links to today's articles, blogs, comment and information relevant to the Leveson Inquiry:
 

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    Wednesday, 7th March
     Link to Hearing Day 6 HERE

    Today's Witnesses:
    Lord Blair ( Former MPS )
    Tim Godwin ( Former MPS )
    Bob Quick ( Former MPS )


    Lord Blair Witness Statement in Full







    Telegraph Live Blog HERE
    Guardian Live Blog HERE

    Telegraph Live Blog:
    10.05 Lord Blair is sworn is as the first witness. The inquiry hears he joined the Met after leaving Oxford University in 1974 and worked his way up the ranks. He was Commissioner between 2005 and 2008.

    Ross Hawkins:
    Jay suggests there could be a tendency at Met for those with large egos to brief against one another


    Index Leveson:
    Blair says coverage of his and Sir Paul Stephenson's resignations covered by political correspondents (vs crime correspondents)

    Guardian Live Blog:
    Blair says in his written statement that the police are "not part of the Whitehall machine".
    However, he thinks the police have become "part of the nexus of political debate" with home affairs correspondents entering the fray in place of crime correspondents.
    He says some journalists treat New Scotland Yard as part of the Whitehall machine, which it is not.

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Daily Mail article from Oct 04 described Blair as "Labour's favourite cop". He says in book this was pattern for next four years.

    Collection of Daily Mail Articles re Ian Blair through the years


    Guy Smith:
    Lord Blair:with senior management team/wanted less discussion about press, more about policy/Denies Lord Stevens too close to media
     

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Blair: Hard to get positive information out in a way that the press find interesting.



    Ross Hawkins:
    L Blair at : I did not have any dinners at all with editors or journalists with the exception of one (longstanding) friend


    Guy Smith:
    Lord Blair:shadowed by Guardian journalist. Wanted to be open and indepth coverage. Not successful cos focus was on dramatic events 


    Hacking Inquiry:
    Blair: The spread of my meetings with the press indicate it was pretty much across the board.
    Blair: 2005 12 CRA meetings and others with NoW, Indy, Times and ST, Sun, Telegraph and Sun Tel, Ob and Guardian and ES.

    Telegraph Live Blog:
    10.35 Lord Blair admitted he did think it would be a good idea to be open with the press to get some in depth coverage of the nature of policing.
    I don’t think it was a terribly successful experiment. My first 12 months included such dramtic events that in the end the journalists were more interested in the dramatic events than the general day-to-day workings.
    Guardian Live Blog:
    In 2005 there were 12 meetings with the CRA but also meetings with newspaper groups including:
    Sunday Times and Times: 7
    Daily Mail: 4
    Observer and Guardian: 9
    Evening Standard: 3
    There were none with the Daily Express or Daily Star, but Blair points out that he would have been in touch with reporters from those papers at the CRA meetings.
     
    Guy Smith:
    Lord Blair: believes the most senior officers have role in public life. Talk about eg. terrorism. Politicians disagreed
    Lord Blair: "cannot police with consent unless that consent is informed" Justifying talk about issues
    Lord Blair: need to brief media otherwise they won't have accurate picture


    Hacking Inquiry:
    Blair: There is a place for off-the-record briefings but need to be tightly controlled.
    Lunch with Les Hinton 2006 and Myler, Wallis, Kuttner and Fedorcio (on Stockwell 2) in 2007.
     Three contacts with Brooks (then Wade) in diary - 2005 phone call, meeting 2006 and lunch 2007.
    Blair: Met Brooks again after she had written "Blair is doomed" headline. Wife said: "Great headline, Rebekah".
    Blair on Horsegate. Statement: "I have no recollection of being asked to give my authority for this arrangement to take place". 

    Ross Hawkins:
    L Blair recalls his son did work experience with Sun, whose editor Wade he and his wife "had grown to know"
    L Blair notes he also knew the editor of the Guardian reasonably well, couple of editors of The Times; broadcasters less well
     Was reported when #horsegate broke that Lord Blair said he was not aware of the gift

    Guardian Live Blog:
    Blair says he didn't give similar briefings to any other paper.
    "I don't really know why Dick thought this was such a good idea with this particular group," he adds.
    He says he didn't think a meeting with the Daily Mail would have been "terribly successful" because it was hostile to him.
    Blair records four meetings or exchanges with Rebekah Brooks: a phone call in 2005, a meeting in 2006, a lunch in 2007 and a further exchange after she ran the headline "Blair is doomed" in the Sun.
    His wife met Brooks twice: the first time at John Stevens's leaving do; the second time was following the "Blair is doomed" headline when she told Brooks "Nice headline, Rebekah." He says this left Brooks speechless.
     Blair says he became acquainted with quite a few print journalists including Will Lewis, who was the son in law of someone he knew; Brooks; and Veronica Wadley, the former editor of the Evening Standard.
    He knew broadcast journalists less well, with the exception of BBC director general Mark Thompson, who was a close neighbour.

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Blair's son did work experience at the Sun in 2005. DF mentioned to him Condon's son had also done this.


    Guardian Live Blog:
    Jay asks Blair about the "Horsegate" affair. Blair says he has heard Fedorcio will give an acocunt of how he came to know about the loan of the horse.
    What I understand Mr Fedorcio will say is that he was telephoned by Rebekah Brooks asking about this arrangement … and that then he arranged for her to go down and see the inspector in charge of horses and then have a discussion about it and this actually seems to have happened on the day that I had lunch with her, and what I understand Mr Fedorcio is going to say is that this was discussed at the lunch. I have absolutely no recollection of that.
    Asked by Leveson if it was a big deal, Blair says "No".
     Blair continues:
    The Met has about 100 horses, of which I assume a regular proportion are released, and this is a regular event, because the horse is still well, but it is not strong enough to do the work that it's required to do, and the Met, I presume, quite understandably, doesn't want to put them down. So I think this is quite regular.

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Blair: Had problems with some senior officers commenting on matters that weren't their policy responsibility.

    Guardian Live Blog:
     Blair is talking about how his 15-year-old son got work experience at the Sun.
    "The current debate over internshnips was not playing at the time," he says. "I had a whole series of people interning around my office … it was a perfectly normal process."
    Blair says the force used to have a rulebook on behaviour called "General orders".
    It was, he says, an "enormous book – a description of all the things you shouldn't do".
    But he adds: "I don't think anyone took any notice because it was too complex."
    Blair says he has never written for a News International paper, "certainly not for payment".His book was serialised by the Mail on Sunday.
    Blair believes a "restriction period of two years" should apply for all staff preventing retired officers from working in other businesses.
    Leveson says this issue is particularly relevant to the police because they can retire so young.
    Blair says the pension regime makes it more or less compulsory to leave when officers are younger than normal retirement age because they could get less money the longer they leave retirement.

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Blair: Increasing number of leaks to the media while commissioner. My view is was not for money but to further own views.
    Blair: I think there were too many meetings with journalists which were unrecorded and unnecessary.
      Blair: Hayman was caught up in a proper criminal inquiry into leaks. He wasn't found to have done anything improper but...


    Sean O'Neill:
    Ian Blair: find it "inconceivable" that senior officers would take money from papers


    Guardian Live blog:
    Blair says he has made inquiries about Operation Elveden, the the Met's investigation into inappropriate payments to police and other public servants, ahead of his inquiry appearance and says the officers who may be arrested were more likely to be junior.He adds that he has been given an assurance, "as of a few weeks ago", that it is was not likely there would be the arrest of senior colleagues as part of Elveden.

    Guy Smith:
    Lord Blair: Former Asst Comm Andy Hayman had high number of calls on his mobile phone to journalists.
    Blair: no hesitation to employ sophisticated investigation against one particular senior journalist. Didn't come to anything
    Jay asks if appropriate head of comms on management board? Blair important cos in charge of press and internal comms

    Guardian Live Blog:
    Blair says anti-terrorism chief Andy Hayman was investigated in 2007 over alleged leaks arising from a case in Birmingham into the conspiracy to kidnap a Muslim soldier and behead him and put it on the internet.
    The story broke in the media so early, there was an inquiry into how it got there; telephone records were examined.
    Blair refers to this in his book and notes that the records showed a "high volume of traffic on [Hayman's] telephone of telephone numbers belonging to journalists".
    Blair adds on Hayman:
    I'm not suggesting in that answer that Mr Hayman was found to have done anything improper about that inquiry, but his telephone records were examined and gave me the cause for concern that I report in my book.
    …. I gather he did explain that he still retained a post in relation to ACPO's media advisory chair. I'm not sure I find that sufficient in this case.
    Blair says when he did an analysis on the nature of corruption faced by the Met, it discovered it had broken networks of officers and one of the "trades was information". Quite often the person involved was not an officer, but a civilian employed by the police.

    Dick Fedorcio:
    The Met's director of public affairs, Dick Fedorcio, was the gatekeeper for media access to Blair.
    Not even the journalist from the Guardian who was shadowing Blair had his mobile number.
    Fedorcio had access to all the workings of the management board as he became a member of the board.
    Jay asks why.
    "This is a very interesting question," says Blair, but that had been the convention for a long time.
    Fedorcio was not only in charge of press but also of internal communications.
    Recording and transcript of Dick Fedorcio's appearance before Parl Select Committee - HERE 


    Hacking Inquiry:
    Blair: Small no of senior officers too close to journalists not for financial gain but for sheer enjoyment of divulging confidence.
    Jay: Did you ever suspect Fedorcio was the source of leaks? Blair: I don't think it would be fair to say that. Blair: Am concerned by evidence given by Brian Paddick about Dick briefing against me.

    Phone-hacking Investigation:

    Guardian Live Blog:
    Blair is asked about the original phone-hacking investigation in 2006 when the former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were under suspicion.Blair believes he was told there was an investigation under way into phone hacking. The only reason he was told was because the investigation concerned the royal princes.
    He says listening to voicemail messages wasn't something that people had heard of before.
    "I don't think people were clear about how it was done and there was a discussions of whether it was an offence at all," he adds.
     Jay asks Blair whether, had he been briefed as to the probable extent of phone hacking, whether his reaction have been any different.
    Blair answers:
    Yes I think it would … in evidence to you and in conversations at different stages I am clear that Peter Clarke took a perfectly reasonable decision … he did not have the resources in light of everything else the specialist forces were dealing with … in terms of a criminal conviction.

    Ross Hawkins:
    L Blair at #leveson : on hacking - Peter Clarke took a totally reasonable decision within his own boundaries of responsibility
     

    Guy Smith:
    Lord Blair: after 2006 I was informed my private and official mobile telephone numbers were in Mulcaire’s file


    Sean O'Neill:
    Ian Blair on not pursuing hacking further: "We were dealing with all sorts of horrors at the time"
      Ian Blair on hacking: "I didn't ask the question which now seems so obvious as to how many other people were there."
    Ian Blair: my mobile numbers were in Mulcaire's notebooks
    Ian Blair: officers mixing with journalists based their behavour on how they saw politicians behave


    Ross Hawkins:
    Lord Blair #leveson : terror plot was only show in town, any conversation about hacking would have been way back in agenda & short
    L Blair says he did ask whether Blunkett was hacked before calling Blunkett #leveson; Blunkett was "wildly concerned" about his privacy


    Hacking Inquiry:
    Blair: I called Blunkett this week. 06 we spoke about airliner plot-before spoke to him I must have asked someone if he was hacked.


    Guardian Live Blog:
    Blair was told in late 2006 his number was in Glenn Mulcaire's file.Blair says he didn't take the hacking very seriously and it isn't even mentioned in his autobiography.
    I had no evidence that I had ever been hacked … I suppose I just put it down to experience. I can't fathom, other than to say, 'here is a memoir about years in office and phone hacking isn't mentioned once'.
    Blair says he didn't raise the question of whether there were more victims, as he only believed his name was in the file, not that he had necessarily been hacked.
    Blair says he was told about Goodman and Mulcaire pleading guilty to phone hacking offences in November 2006.However he says at the time terrorism was such a threat, the force was not considering much else in the way of serious crime.
     Blair is asked about a call he made to home secretary David Blunkett to let him know about phone hacking.
    Jay asks if this shows that he was cognisant of the extent of hacking.
    Blair says Blunkett was "wildly concerned about his personal privacy" and so he asked in advance whether the home secretary's name was on the list of potential victims.
    He adds he was unaware that other names linked to Blunkett were on the list.
    11.49am: Blair says he was told about Goodman and Mulcaire pleading guilty
    2009:
     
    Ross Hawkins:
    Lord Blair #leveson : On reading NY Times hacking article - "I remember thinking - this has got to be investigated it's so wide"
    Blair at #leveson : Yates decision not to do more after 09 press revelations on hacking was "just too quick"
    #leveson says Yates spent days following his decision gathering docs which cd have been required to justify decision made

    Guardian Live Blog:
    By the time the Guardian reported that phone hacking was extensive in July 2009, Blair was no longer the commissioner.Blair says it is "invidious to criticised from the outside".
    When he read the New York Times revelations in September 2010, he says he thought "Whoa, this has got to be investigated, it is so wide."
    Leveson says he realises that is is invidious to criticise but he has to consider the issue and wants to do it with the benefit of Blair's experience.Blair says he doesn't know why John Yates dismissed the Guardian report within six hours and decided there was no reason to reopen the investigation.

    Ross Hawkins:
    Lord Blair at #leveson : whether News Int or Assoc Press, these were people with very powerful alliances; very powerful agents in the state
    Lord Blair at #leveson - don't believe Yates took decision to placate NI, but his difficulty is his number of contacts (with them)


    Sean O'Neill:
    Ian Blair on Paddick: "Brian was a very fine officer ... but unhappiness has clouded his commentary a great deal"


    Hacking Inquiry:
    Blair: There were a large number of dinners and large amounts of alcohol (press and senior officers) and that would worry me.


    Filkin Report:

    Guardian Live Blog:
    Blair says of the Filkin report:
    Elizabeth Filkin's comment that contact is permissible but not unconditional should be nailed to the front door of the police station.
    However, Blair says he disagrees with a whole series of injunctions and subclauses about how you should deal with the press rather than anybody else.
    Blair is asked if he has any comment on Hayman and Yates and their level of contact with News International management.
    "Large number of dinners and large amounts of alcohol, that would worry me," says Blair.
    He says there are two problems: first, junior officers must look at this and ask if it is proper use of public money; secondly, there is the "perception" that the high level of contact and the decision not to investigate would be connected in the public's mind.
    Blair quotes the legal word "recuse". He says he recused himself from the "cash for honours" investigation because he had a high level of contact with politicians, all of which was professional.
    He suggests that Yates, who openly declared himself a friend of the former deputy editor of the News of the World, could have recused himself from decisions on phone hacking for the same reason.
    Twitter comment following the completion of Sir Ian Blair's evidence:


    Pat Oddy:
    Blair evidence summary 'We did nothing wrong, but if it had been wrong, it wasn't down to me'




    Tim Godwin Witness Statement in Full



    Telegraph Live Blog HERE
    Guardian Live Blog HERE


    makes clear he and Tim Godwin know each other well having worked on criminal justice projects and Sentencing Council
    Sean O'Neill
    oh, Tim Godwin now, he loved the press (NOT)

    Guardian Live Blog:
    Godwin's opening remarks note that following the Macpherson inquiry into the investigation into the death of Stephen Lawrence, the Met was perceived as a "closed and secretive organisation". 

    Godwin: Press having access to high profile officers natural progression of opening up Met, ultimately didn't play well for us. 
    Godwin: Normal events would be media interview arranged by press office, in my office. Attended CRA Xmas party and other events.

    Telegraph Live Blog:
    15.34 Mr Jay asked Mr Godwin about the notion of a shift in perception of the Met from one organisation to a focus on individuals, particular those in senior positions.
    "This was the result of the press having access to high profile police officers," he agrees.
    Mr Jay asks whether this is a good or bad thing. Mr Godwin says it was a "natural progression" in terms of being more accountable. He said: "It created a more open relationship and ultimately it didn't bode well for us."
    Hacking Inquiry:
    Godwin: I didn't have as much detail about Yates's social interactions as inquiry has heard - embarrassing and unfortunate.
    Jay says there is "nothing of interest" to discuss in Godwin's hospitality register. #Leveson says this in itself is of interest.
    As temporary commissioner, Godwin introduced auditing of media contact records by DAC of Professional Standards.

    Index Leveson:
    #Leveson to Godwin: what do you think about idea that you might have 1 set of values & your other senior colleagues might have another set?
    Godwin says it's not difference of values but difference of style

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Godwin: Have received phone calls to personal mobile from journalists. Have not given out or given permission for it to be shared.
    Jay now asks Godwin to respond to a series of questions on Quick's evidence.

    Guardian Live Blog:
    Godwin says it is "open to debate" that a "police source" is a police source at all.
    "We shouldn't be hiding away from being held to account," he adds.
    He says if the police are in a position to answer a question that doesn't interfere with operational matters they should.
     Godwin says leak inquiries are very difficult to pursue and prosecute
    Jay asks Godwin how journalists got his number when he didn't fraternise with them. Godwin says he wouldn't like to speculate when asked if the press office might have leaked it to friendly journalists.
    Hacking Inquiry:
    Godwin: I recall Stephenson reading out statement relating to him not standing again for commissioner [contradicts Quick].
    Godwin: Quick naturally distressed by MoS articles, having big impact on family life. I recall getting press office to contact him.
    #Leveson asks Godwin for further views, in context of the O'Connor and Filkin reports.
    Godwin: At the end of it we don't want the police to become hidden and secret again.

    Guardian Live blog:
    Godwin is asked if Quick challenged Johnston's view that the arrest of Green was disproportionate.
    He says Quick did, but both sides had arguments and there were still lines of inquiry to be investigated.
    Godwin says he was more supportive of Johnston's view.
    Godwin is asked about the Mail on Sunday article about Quick's wife's business.
    He says he can't recall exactly what was said but Quick was "extremely upset", he was getting a lot of attention and his family were getting a lot of attention, that was "having a big impact on his life".
    Godwin says he can't recall being asked to do anything other than get the press office involved.
    In June/July 2011, Godwin made two misconduct referral reports to the professional standards body.One of these related to Neil Wallis's Chamy Media and the other to Amy Wallis, the former NoW deputy editor's daughter.
    Chamy Media won a contract for PR consultancy worth £24,000 a year with Scotland Yard following Wallis's resignation from the paper, while his daughter got a job with the Met.
    Telegraph Live Blog:
    16.11 When asked for his thoughts on the inquiry in general, Mr Godwin says:
    "The key concern I have is that at the end of it we do not want the police to become hidden and secretive again. Openness and transparency have many benefits."
    Lord Leveson reassures Mr Godwin that he should not take any concerns he has expressed as a more general criticism of the police.
     
    Bob Quick Witness Statement in Full

    Peter Oborne: The Bob Quick Farce Shows Our Police Chiefs Should Fight Crime - Not Pander to Politicians - Mail Online

    Collection of Articles re Bob Quick in the Daily Mail


    Telegraph Live Blog HERE
    Guardian Live Blog HERE

    From Guardian Live Blog:
    The inquiry has now resumed. The next witness is Bob Quick.
    Quick was chief constable of Surrey police in 2004, and returned to the Met in March 2008 where he was assistant commissioner specialist operations. He followed Andy Hayman in that post.
    He resigned from the Met in May 2009.
    Jay asks about an allegations regarding Southern Investigations, the firm set up by murdered private eye Daniel Morgan.In 1999 Quick was head of the anti-corruption command.
    12.31pm: The BBC's Ross HAwkins has just tweeted:
     
    Ross Hawkins:
    Quick at #leveson : a number of journos were ided as having direct relationships with Southern Investigations
      Quick at #leveson : payments of £500-£2000 were made by journos and claimed back from employers

    Guardian Live Blog:
    The anti-corruption probe was called Operation Nigeria.It identified a number of journalists from papers including the Sun and the News of the World as having a direct relationship with Southern Investigations.
    ( More on Operation Nigeria HERE )
    Quick's written statement refers to a listening device used for "covert investigation" against those connected to Southern.
    The investigation ended with the arrest of individuals.
     Quick became concerned about the relationship between journalists and officers suspected of corruption.
    "It became apparent that some officers were being bribed for stories," he says.
    He decided to investigate the payments to officers.
    Intelligence revealed payments of between £500 and £2,000 were being made to officers and the journalists were claiming those back from their employers.The police unit formed the view that journalists would either be falsely be claiming this money back or the newspapers were "somehow complicit" in the payments.
    Quick says he recommended an investigation into police corruption, in a report that was submitted to Andy Hayman.
    However, Hayman had reservations based on potential evidential difficulties and decided that this was too "risky".
     The former chief secretary to the cabinet, Sir Gus O'Donnell, raised concerns regarding unauthorised disclosures and he was specifically concerned about assistant commissioner John Yates's relationship with the media.
    Quick agreed to investigate over the weekend and submitted a report to the deputy commissioner on the Monday to ensure the inquiry was sound and "there were no leaks or malpractice".
    One of the recommendations in Quick's report was "a retrospective analysis" of Yates's telephone records to corroborate his view that the assistant commissioner was not leaking.
    Jay says that this was a rather "tepid" recommendation. Quick protests that whether it was "tepid or not it was clear". And this was standard practice when the Met suspected someone was leaking.
    Quick says he asked Yates for access to his phone records, but the assistant commissioner refused, saying he was "very well connected".
    He says he thought this was "a bit of theatre".
    Quick discusses an article in the Mail on Sunday by then shadow home secretary David Davis that he says misrepresented the Met's position on detention without charge.
    Telegraph Live Blog:
    12.55 The inquiry heard former chief secretary to the cabinet Gus O'Donnell expressed concern about John Yates' relationship with the media. Quick said: "As I understood it, he was suggesting Yates had leaked information." Quick said he investigated and produced a report with recommendations, but did not believe there had been any leaks or malpractice.
    He recommended Yates' phone records were audited as a further level of evidence. When he asked Yates' about examining the records, he joked he was too well connected. When Quick pressed the issue, he said, Yates repeated that he was "very well connected."
    Quick said:
    I didn't place too much significance on it at the time. I thought it was a bit of theatre. He was clearly sensitive to an intrusive process like that.
    13.00 Mr Jay discusses newpaper articles regarding the period of detention of suspects without charge. Quick says he feels he and his views were misrepresented by then shadow home secretary David Davis.

    Ross Hawkins:
    Quick at #leveson discussing the piece by David Davis here down page
    Sir Gus O'Donnell aired some of his reservations about cash for honours investigation in public

     Break for Lunch

    Sean O'Neill:
    Bob Quick now onto Damian Green investigation; says Green was seeking "dirt" on Labour-run Home Office


    Ross Hawkins:
    Quick #leveson : s/one working v close to home sec in her pvt ofc seemed to be accessing letters from her to PM
    Quick #leveson : & removing docs from safe in outer office (all this from scoping exercise) c servant Christopher Galley was suspect
    Quick #leveson : in police iv Galley said Damian Green had conv with him about accessing material that would be useful

    #leveson Inquiry hears contents of texts and emails between Damian Green and Christopher Galley

    From Guardian Live Blog:
     Jay asks Quick about the Damian Green leaks case.
    Quick says he asked Cressida Dick to conduct a scoping exercise after claims junior Home Office civil servant Christopher Galley was allegedly passing information to Tory MP Green.
    Galley admitted that four of the six leaks were linked to him. He claimed that David Davis introduced him to Green and that the MP said he was seeking "dirt on the Labour government".
    Galley's claim was he wanted a job in the Tory parliamentary party and Green had given him "positive signals" about helping him.
     
    Hacking Inquiry:
    Green arrested and gave no comment interview. Jay says various influential public figures criticised without knowledge.

    Guardian Live Blog:
    Quick is asked about the circumstances leading to the arrest of Green. Former DAC John McDowall was involved. The advice was that a search of a parliamentary office would be lawful.
    There was then a discussion as to whether it was appropriate to arrest an MP or whether to invite him to attend a police station voluntarily.
    However, a number of pieces of information came to light via Galley and therefore the "gold group" within Scotland Yard was unanimous the only way forward was to arrest. (The "gold group" is a senior strategic decision making body of senior staff. Quick was chairman of the group.)
     Green was arrested at his Kent constituency and was brought to London but after initially saying he was "too tired" to be interviewed, he agreed to be questioned, but gave a "no comment" interview.

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Quick: Stephenson and I needed to be clear whether national security had been compromised.


    Guardian Question and Answer Piece On Damian Green Case HERE



    Hacking Inquiry: 
    Quick: Stephenson told me he'd written out resignation. Surprised as police rightly investigating very serious allegations.
    Quick: Yates told me he felt inquiry was doomed, CPS would withdrawn support and advised to stop investigation. Surprised he asked.
     
    Guardian Live Blog:
    Quick had concerns with some of the media reports.
    Yates asked to see him in the office and told him that his inquiry "would be doomed" because the CPS would withdraw its support for the investigation as it did in the cash for honours inquiry.
    Quick says he couldn't stop unless there wasn't a legitimate reason for dropping the investigation.
    "We had just seized a load of evidence that we hadn't the opportunity to examine yet … it didn't seem a tenable argument."

    Ross Hawkins:
    Quick at #leveson : Mayor had expressed concerns about arrest, detected change of attitude, real anxiety and fear from colleagues


    Sean O'Neill:
    Bob Quick: external review of Damian Green investigation was "convened in haste in an air of semi-panic"


     Index Leveson:
    Quick says he knew of D Mail journo who had "done a pretty good job" of trying to "demolish" Met over a few years
    Quick says he had "concerns" over relationships between Met and certain journos

    : Did you feel that the Met line at this time being reflected in press reports? Quick: No, concerned at what I was reading.
    Hacking Inquiry
    Quick: Some of the reports were well-informed, it seemed to me there was some briefing going on - not authorised by me.
    Quick: I was aware of a certain journalist at the Mail - Stephen Wright - who was very close to Yates.
     
    Guardian Live Blog:
    Quick says he believes the review of his investigation was convened "in haste and air of semi-panic" and was a result of pressure being applied to the Met.There were reports attributed to someone close to the acting commissioner saying he didn't support the arrests, claims that "really troubled me".
    He says the report in the Daily Telegraph that he had a row with Stephenson was "false".
     Jay suggests that there was a job open at the top and senior staff knifing each other was one way of getting ahead.

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Quick: Media agenda was dictating where this investigation should go, had an enormous impact on how people thought about case.

    Sean O'Neill:
    Bob Quick: Damian Green inquiry was "a perfectly legitimate criminal investigation"
     

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Quick: Certain critical references in Johnston review have since been redacted from the published version, cabinet office opposed. 


    Guardian Live Blog:
    Ian Johnson launched a review in December and he was given just two weeks to report.Godwin asked Quick to attend a meeting to discuss the findings.
    The report found that the decision to arrest Green was "disproportionate". Quick says he was surprised at this.
    the Cabinet Office at the time believed it was a "criminal matter"; they had been investigating the leaks for sometime without success and the person leaking had access to very sensitive information.
    "I found it strange that there was this emphasis constantly that it was not a criminal matter," says Quick.
    Quick says Paul Stephenson and Godwin seemed "very preoccupied during the meeting about the negative media attention".
    "I sensed it was having an enormous impact about how people were thinking about this case," says Quick.
    The Cabinet Office has subsequently got some of Johnston's report redacted.When support from the Cabinet Office for Quick's claim that it was that body that thought it was a criminal matter was sought, "it was not forthcoming".
    Hacking Inquiry:
    Quick describes MoS digging around his wife's wedding car business. She received call from client saying journo had been in touch.
    Quick: Fixated on whether I drove the cars or used police officers to drive the cars, did I have a role in the business.
    Quick: Had phone call from Fedorcio saying MoS were going to publish story on serving officers driving the cars. Said not true.
    Quick: Then told they would run different story that security at risk by virtue of wife's business. Bogus case, real issue Green.

    Ross Hawkins:
    In the end the Mail on Sunday ran this article - Quick says his own Jenson car wasn't for hire

     Sean O'Neill:
    Jay says Mail on Sunday piece about Quick's wife's limo business was "worse than disingenuous"

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Quick: I didn't feel I had huge support from my colleagues at the time.



    Ross Hawkins:
    Quick at #leveson : There was an impact on my family's safety, real anxieties for children, who were moved out of house
     

    Guardian Live Blog:
    Both the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday had been critical of the Green affair.Quick got a call on 20 December 2008 from the Yard's press office that the Mail on Sunday wanted to know if serving officers were used as drivers.
    The MoS conceded, eventually, there was no truth in this.
     Quick felt the story was a reaction to the Green affair and went to Stephenson arguing that someone should talk to the MoS editor.
    "If I am honest, I didn't feel I had huge support from my colleagues," he adds.
     Quick says the article had "an impact on my family's safety" but that neither Fedorcio nor Stephenson intervened on his behalf.

     Ross Hawkins:
    Quick told a reporter Mail on Sunday was being mobilised by Cons party to undermine Green investigation, said this was corrupt

     Hacking Inquiry:
    Quick: Wife wound down business after further MoS article about no license for business (license didn't exist so didn't need one).
    Jay refers to 2008 Guardian article "'I'm going to get him this time' - what one Tory said about Bob Quick".
     
    Ross Hawkins:
    #leveson quotes some rather strong language in an article, happily we weren't taking a live feed at the time on #bbcnews channel
    #Leveson was qting piece, qting one "well placed Tory" saying "I'm going to ****ng get him this time."

    Quick at #leveson now recalling this career ending blunder

    Hacking Inquiry:
    Quick: Mayor of London announced acceptance of my resignation on TV before it was actually tendered.

    Telegraph Live Blog:
    15.05 Mr Quick is now speaking about a photograph revealing the details of operational notes, which led to his resignation.
    He said:
    It did reveal that some sort of investigation was about to go ahead. Later I found out that I had been photographed and was very surprised to learn that whoever took it had put it on the web.
    "I realised the operation had been compromised and was focused on how to mitigate that problem. The decision was taken to move the arrests forward; that was achieveable.
    "At the end of the day, I turned my attention to the consequences of that momentary lapse and what I ought to do about it."
    He said that before he had announced his intentions, the Mayor of London had revealed the acceptance of his resignation on live television
     
    Hacking Inquiry:
    Quick: No social engagement with journalists. My approach was to keep relationships formal, transparent and diaried.
    Quick: Saw Stephenson, Yates and Fedorcio socialising with journalists including Lucy Panton (NoW) and Mike Sullivan (Sun).
    Quick: On other occasions saw Yates in social situations with Stephen Wright (Mail). Surprised me as Mail v critical of the Met.
    Quick: Need to have psychological distance from journalists so that you're not compromised.

    Guardian Live Blog:
    Quick is asked about his contact with journalists, and says he didn't socialise with them. When he returned to the Met as assistant commissioner, he was briefed that there was an established relationship between ACSO (special operations) and the Crime Reporters' Association.
    He said he also recalled Yates in social situations with Stephen Wright. He says Wright had written a number of articles critical of Blair during his commission.
    Quick is asked if he believes Yates briefed Wright, but says he doesn't know. However, he was surprised with the number of articles generally that were highly critical of the Met.

    Telegraph Live Blog:
    15.16 Mr Quick tells the inquiry he did not mix with journalists.
    He said:
    I think there is a recognition among most of my colleagues that journalists have a difficult job; they’re under huge pressure. The police had information they would ideally like to access: some of it they can and some they can't.

    "You have to be guarded. There's a psychological distance you need to have so you’re not compromised and the perception created that you’ve given them more favourable treatment than they deserve."
    Guardian Live Blog:
     Quick says he knew from his experience in the Met of that "risky interface between the police and journalists who are in a fiercely commercial environment seeking scoops, exclusives and stories".
    Jay asks Quick what he hypothetically would have done had he been in charge following the Guardian's phone-hacking relevations on 9 July 2009."The Guardian were challenging very strongly the first investigation, I would like to think I would have concerned myself with what the first investigation had or hadn't revealed and whether there was any substance to these allegations."
    He adds he "certainly had concerns at the time that an inquiry was ruled out at an early stage."
    So, did Sir Paul Stephenson offer to resign over the Damian Green affair or not?
    Neil Garnham, QC for the Met, asks about the meeting on 1 December 2008 with Sir Paul Stephenson.
    Garnham asks if it was correct that Stephenson had told Quick he was not going to renew his contract the following April, not that he was going to resign.
    Quick stands his ground. "He told me he had written his resignation out," he says.




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