Phone hacking: New facts embarrass Murdoch, Cameron

Phone hacking was "widely discussed" in the editorial meetings of the now defunct News of the World tabloid, the reporter who was blamed as the lone culprit said in a "devastating" letter, further embarrassing Prime Minister David Cameron and media baron James Murdoch.

The letter by the sacked News of the World royal correspondent, Clive Goodman, was published today by the Culture, Media & Sport Committee of the House of Commons, which is investigating the phone-hacking row.

His claim is damning because both News of the World and its parent company News International have asserted that Goodman who was fired, convicted and jailed for his role in the scandal was the only journalist in Britain's largest selling Sunday tabloid, who was involved in intercepting voice mail messages.

On a related issue, John Whittingdale, chairman of the committee, said that the committee was likely to ask James Murdoch about the contradiction in his testimony and statements of former employees of News International, Tom Crone (former legal manager) and Colin Myler (former editor of News of the World).

The committee today published several documents related to the issue.

Goodman and private investigator Glen Mulcaire were convicted of hacking the phone of members of the royal household for information to be used in stories in 168-year-old tabloid that was shut down last month.

Goodman writes that phone-hacking was "widely discussed" in the editorial meetings of the tabloid, contradicting the claims of leading lights of News International that they were not aware of phone hacking and other unethical practices in their titles.