Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman accuses David Cameron of evading question on alleged phone-hacking of senior civil servant

HUDDERSFIELD’S MP last night accused the Prime Minister of evading questions about alleged spying on a senior civil servant.

Barry Sheerman and fellow Labour MP Nick Raynsford questioned David Cameron about the matter in Parliament yesterday.

Mr Raynsford asked the Prime Minister about allegations of spying while former News of the World editor Andy Coulson worked in Downing Street.

He said: “Will the Prime Minister confirm that a year ago – during the period when Mr Coulson was director of communications – the cabinet secretary was alerted to evidence of illegal phone hacking, covert surveillance and hostile media briefing directed against a senior official in the Government service?”

Mr Cameron replied that he would “look very closely” at the issue, but that Mr Coulson “did not behave in a way that anyone felt was inappropriate” while in Downing Street.

Twenty minutes later Mr Sheerman raised the issue again, asking if the intelligence services would be forced to appear at the upcoming public inquiry into phone-hacking.

Mr Cameron said he would not comment on intelligence matters.

Mr Sheerman told the Examiner later: “I thought his response was evasive.

“If security services have been involved, surely we should know about that. It should be within the scope of the inquiry.”

The Huddersfield MP went on to tell the Examiner that the “senior public servant” believed he was being spied on.

The Labour man said: “As I understand it, MI5 confirmed that his phone had been tapped.

“This hacking happened in the last year.

“If this is true it adds a whole new dimension to the saga.”

Mr Sheerman added that the hacking did not come from “a media source”.

The Huddersfield MP said he knew the alleged victim “very well” but declined to name him.

“This person doesn’t want to be identified at the moment,” he said.

Lord Prescott accused Prime Minister David Cameron of adopting a “hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil” strategy after failing to heed his warnings against appointing Andy Coulson.

Labour’s former deputy prime minister said he wrote to Mr Cameron two years ago claiming the former News of the World editor was not fit to become Downing Street director of communications.