A British Cabinet minister’s admission that he had a relationship with a sex worker prompted a fresh row over press ethics on Wednesday after it emerged that four newspapers knew the story but did not
A British Cabinet minister’s admission that he had a relationship with a sex worker prompted a fresh row over press ethics on Wednesday after it emerged that four newspapers knew the story but did not print it.
Culture secretary John Whittingdale, who takes key decisions on press regulation, confirmed late Tuesday that the relationship had taken place following online news reports.
The news has prompted claims that newspapers deliberately suppressed the story because of Mr Whittingdale’s role in implementing reforms recommended by the 2012 Leveson report into British press ethics.
The BBC said four newspapers investigated the relationship, which took place before Mr Whittingdale became culture secretary in May 2015, but decided that reporting on it was not in the public interest.
“This is an old story which was a bit embarrassing at the time,” Mr Whittingdale said in a statement to the broadcaster.
“Between August 2013 and February 2014, I had a relationship with someone who I first met through Match.com,” added the 56-year-old, who is single.
“At no time did she give me any indication of her real occupation, and I only discovered this when I was made aware that someone was trying to sell a story about me to tabloid newspapers. As soon as I discovered this, I ended the relationship.”
The Labour party said Mr Whittingdale should be stripped of his involvement in press regulation to remove any suspicion of “undue influence” being exerted in his dealings with the press. “It seems the press were quite deliberately holding a sword of Damocles over John Whittingdale,” Labour’s Chris Bryant said.
A senior government source said Prime Minister David Cameron has “full confidence” in his minister.
