Channel 4's response to Parliamentary Committee on Standards report

17 September 2015

The House of Commons Committee on Standards today released its report on Politicians for Hire, which featured an undercover investigation by Dispatches and The Daily Telegraph.

The full report can be found below:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmstandards/472/47202.htm

The report includes transcripts of the rushes of the full undercover interviews with Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw. It should be noted all redactions indicated on the transcripts were made by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards without reference to Channel Four.

Please see Channel 4’s response to the report below.

“Channel 4 Dispatches stands by its journalism; this was a fair and accurate account of what the two MPs said. This investigation was in the public interest and revealed matters which were of serious public concern.”

The Daily Telegraph have also issued a statement:

“The Daily Telegraph conducted an investigation that was in the public interest and accurately revealed matters which were of concern to millions of voters. We raised a number of serious questions about the conduct of members of parliament. We suspect voters will find it remarkable that, despite the scandal of MPs’ expenses, parliament still sees fit for MPs to be both judge and jury on their own conduct.”

The full programme can be viewed on All4:  http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/on-demand/60450-001

 

ENDS