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Former Bethnal Green MP George Galloway is suing publishers of the News of the World for £300,000 accusing them of hacking his voicemail. He claims News Group Newspapers and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire acted illegally by intercepting communications between February 2005 and August 2006. The Scottish politician said this amounted to a gross invasion for him and for those who left him messages. The Sunday newspaper refuted the allegations, a spokesman saying: "The News of the World has absolutely no knowledge or evidence that Mr Galloway's voicemail was accessed. We cannot comment further until we receive clarification from the Metropolitan Police on this matter." News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman and Mulcaire were jailed in February 2007 for hacking into the phone messages of Royal aides. Former England coach Gordon Taylor recived £700,000 in damages and publicist Max Clifford was thought to have received £1million in relation to similar voicemail hacking claims. The News of the World maintained that Goodman acted alone, investigators criticised the "collective amnesia" at the newspaper. Mulcaire admitted to having listening to the messages of supermodel Elle Macpherson, Simon Hughes MP and football agent Skylet Andrew. A report by the Information Commissioner showed that News of the World journalists often bought confidential personal information from private investigators that was “unlawfully and illegally obtained”. The report found that one investigator, Steve Whittamore, had supplied personal information to 305 journalists, including 19 at the News of the World, Galloway says.
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