News International deny Gordon Brown allegations
News International have denied that The Sun obtained the medical records of Frazer Brown, the son of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.The company released a statement this afternoon saying that a member of the public had come forward with the information and wanted to highlight the cause of those affected by cystic fibrosis. They went on to say that they did approach Gordon Brown, who was Chancellor at the time, to speak with his colleagues to provide quotes for a published piece which was to run in The Sun.
“We believe that the article was written sensitively and appropriately. We are not aware of Mr Brown, nor any of his colleagues to whom we spoke, making any complaint about it at the time. The publication of the story and the further responsible, sympathetic and informative coverage The Sun continued to give to the disease resulted in renewed interest for those affected by it. Donations to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust nearly doubled over the next year.” – News International statement.
News International also said they will continue to inquire the matter relating to other accusations he has made, and ask him to provide them with information which will help to establish the facts. Gordon Brown spoke to the BBC in an exclusive interview today accusing the company of having links to the ‘criminal underworld’.
The Sunday Times was also mentioned by Gordon Brown, claiming that they hired someone to obtain personal financial and legal information. News International have stated that no criminal was used and they believe that no law was broken. The information was allegedly obtained by the paper for a story on Mr Brown buying a flat at a ‘knock-down price’.