Campbell admits to circulating drafts of Leveson statement
Former Downing St communications director Alastair Campbell was giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into press standards today – although details of his testimony had already been leaked to a blogger.
Mr Campbell today said he sent drafts of his witness statement to lawyers, journalists and former political colleagues before 'an early version' leaked online by Paul Staines, who blogs under the name Guido Fawkes.
Mr Campbell said he was confident that none of the people he copied the statement to would have passed it on to Mr Staines.
He told the inquiry: “I sent various drafts at various stages to different people who were helping me – lawyers, three people in the media and my former colleagues in politics…
“I have not yet been able to check to whom I sent the draft that has appeared.
“I am confident that none of the people that I sent it to would ever have given it to Mr Staines, or indeed to anybody else.
“But he got hold of an earlier draft, which is why I am pleased now to be able to publish the final version.”
The leak of Mr Campbell’s draft witness statement on Sunday prompted inquiry chairman Lord Justice Leveson to make an order banning advance publication of documents submitted to his team.
Lord Justice Leveson also summoned Mr Staines, who claimed to have obtained the statement by “legal means”, to give evidence to the inquiry tomorrow about how he got hold of the document.
Responding to Mr Campbell’s comments today, Mr Staines wrote on Twitter: “On weekend Alastair Campbell said he was ’shocked’ that someone had leaked it... after he gave it to three journalists. Shocking, shocking.”
