Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of Rupert Murdoch’s UK company, took a “deeply concerning interest” in the phone-hacking campaigner Tom Watson while one of her journalists wrote that he “must die”, according to claims in a newly disclosed court document.
Referring to a potential place for Watson on a parliamentary committee looking into unlawful behaviour, Brooks allegedly told Will Lewis, the then general manager of News Group Newspapers (NGN) – who is now the chief executive and publisher of the Washington Post – in June 2011 to pass on a message that the company would “go for broke if watson on – and downing street need to be warned”.
A further email cited in Watson’s claim is from a senior reporter at the Sun to six colleagues in January 2011, including the then news editor, which is said by the Labour MP to typify the attitude at the company. It read: “tom watson must die.”
It is claimed by Watson that NGN’s journalists “targeted Lord Watson heavily with the aim of dismantling his reputation and life”.
The claims are contained in a skeleton argument written in support of the former deputy Labour leader’s damages claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of the Sun and the now defunct News of the World.
The case, which was jointly taken with Prince Harry, was not tested in court as it was settled in January with a payout for legal costs and damages reportedly said to be in excess of £10m.
NGN apologised to Watson for “the unwarranted intrusion carried out into his private life during his time in government by the News of the World during the period 2009-2011”, including when the former MP was put under surveillance in 2009.
NGN has denied allegations that Watson was also a victim of phone hacking or other unlawful behaviour by any of its employees or private investigators. The company said it was prepared to fight the claims in court.
The Guardian is able to report from Watson’s argument and the company’s defence after the parties agreed to provide them after an application to high court judge, Mr Justice Fancourt.
NGN denies that Brooks, who was editor of the Sun from 2003 to 2009 and of the News of the World between 2000 and 2003, and has been chief executive at Murdoch’s News UK since 2015, took a “deeply concerning” interest in Watson, as is alleged.
In relation to Brooks’s email regarding Watson’s possible inclusion on the joint committee, it said there was a concern in the company that he would not be impartial.
An NGN spokesperson said: “It is well known and documented that NGN and Lord Watson do not see eye to eye and we are pleased the disputed case was settled by mutual agreement in January.”
According to Watson’s claim, NGN “first took against Lord Watson in September 2006 when the editor of the Sun, Rebekah Brooks, blamed Lord Watson (with no justification) for attempts to replace the prime minister, Tony Blair, (a personal friend of Ms Brooks) with Gordon Brown MP.”
Watson then received an apology and damages from the Sun when it wrongly alleged in April 2009 that Watson had been party to a plot to smear the Conservatives and had lied about his involvement.
It is claimed by Watson that the “libellous attack” was “prompted and pursued by Ms Brooks” and that this was part of a “pattern” of behaviour. This is denied.
In its defence, NGN said that the “bulk of [Tom Watson’s] evidence in the claim appears to relate to complaints of insensitive or politically biased reporting, and inappropriate handling of a 2009 libel claim, none of which are actionable or compensable”.
NGN added in its defence that the high court when it heard the case should “not be drawn into a de facto public inquiry about the editorial choices adopted by NGN”.
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