Queen's solicitors knew News of the World was lying...
21 October 2011
A partner at Farrer & Co has admitted that he kept secret the fact that his client, News International, had misled Parliament.

Julian Pike told a committee of MPs last week that News International had seen evidence which suggested that several journalists had been involved in phone hacking. And as such, its assertion to Parliament that the whole sorry affair was down to just one rogue reporter was untrue.

Pike said that he had been unable to disclose this fact because of client confidentiality. When asked how he would view a headline reading "Queen's solicitors knew News of the World was lying and did nothing about it", he replied that it "is obviously not ideal". Sorry to disappoint you Pike!

Stupid boy...

RollOnFriday spoke to an expert in Parliamentary law who said that Pike was not formally under an obligation to disclose the facts*, although he should have informed his client of the consequences of perjury. Although if he did, it seems the news went down like a lead balloon: News International has just moved all its phone-hacking work over to Olswang. The Faustian pact by the media firm is clearly bearing fruit.

A spokesman for Farrers said that the firm was still acting for News International in other matters.

*He added that in theory MPs could claim that Pike's lack of disclosure had interfered with Parliamentary process, do him for contempt and lock him up. But he'd be surprised if such a thing had happened in the last 200 years, so Pike's probably off the hook on that one.