Politicians have united in support of Gordon Brown MP as the phone hacking scandal intensifies.
The intrusion into the former Prime Minister’s private life by News International papers was described as “cruel and brutal.”
Mr Brown, who is the MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, spoke out about the scandal on Tuesday after he became the latest high-profile name to be engulfed by the storm surrounding Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. He alleged the Sun used illegitimate means to get hold of his son Fraser’s medical records in 2006, when it was revealed that the little boy was suffering from cystic fibrosis.
Mr Brown said he and wife Sarah were “in tears” after being informed the Sun was going to publish a story about their four-month-old son Fraser’s illness. He told the BBC in an interview, “I can’t think of any way that the medical condition of a child can be put into the public arena legitimately unless the doctor makes a statement or the family makes a statement.
“I make no claims but the fact of the matter is that I had my bank accounts broken into, I had my lawyers’ files effectively blagged, my tax returns went missing at one point. I don’t know how all this happened but I do know one thing that in two of those instances there is absolute proof that News International was involved in hiring people to get this information.”
The Sun denied accessing the medical records of the former Prime Minister’s son, insisting it learned about his condition from a member of the public, and the Sunday Times denied it had broken any laws or used criminals when investigating the purchase of a flat by Mr Brown.
Nevertheless, colleagues and political opponents of Mr Brown have united in condemnation of News International.
Willie Rennie MSP called for an investigation into how the NHS could have breached patient confidentiality if Fraser’s records had been leaked.
“For the private and personal affairs of someone’s son, at such a time, to be released to the media is something very cruel and brutal,” he said. “I think we need to get some answers from the NHS in Scotland about how this confidentiality was broken and make sure it never happens again.”
Meanwhile Liberal Democrat MP Sir Menzies Campbell, whose Fife constituency is next to Mr Brown’s, told the BBC, “I cannot imagine how I would feel at that level of intrusion and I’m not surprised the matter has been referred to police.
“I wonder what sort of people think that it is legitimate to examine the medical records of the child of the Prime Minister for the purpose of getting a story? Just exactly what kind of people think that this is a proper exercise of press freedom that is so important in this country?”
Prime Minister David Cameron described the intrusion as “heartbreaking” and “completely unacceptable” and Labour MSP Helen Eadie welcomed his reaction.
“The Prime Minister gave his heartfelt feelings and it’s good to hear that, right across the political spectrum, everyone is coming out and supporting Gordon on this,” Mrs Eadie said. “When you’re in public life you live under the strictest scrutiny and people should respect that, while it is fair enough to scrutinise you as an individual, to dig into your family is absolutely the lowest of the low.”