Evan Harris speaks after settling his phone-hacking claim against Murdoch newspapers

Evan Harris didn't just make a statement to court as his claim against The Sun and the News of the World was settled, he made one outside court too.

And here it is.

In settling Evan Harris's claim, the owner of the papers, News Group Newspapers, made no admission of liability.

Evan Harris settles hacking claim against Murdoch newspapers

Yahoo! News reports that the former Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris has settled his claim for unlawful information gathering against News Group Newspapers, publishers of The Sun and the now-closed News of the World.

Dr Harris told the High Court that he believes some of his close friends and associates, including Vince Cable and former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, received calls from NGN journalists which cannot be "explained by anything other than voicemail interception".

Representing Dr Harris, barrister David Sherborne read a statement to the court, as the claim was formally settled:

Mr Sherborne said Dr Harris "believes that disclosed documents show that private investigator activity – which he considers to be unlawful – was directed against Hugh Grant … a few days prior to Mr Grant giving evidence at the Leveson inquiry in November 2011".

He also said NGN had disclosed other documents which Dr Harris believes reveal that fellow former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes was "outed" by The Sun as bisexual based on an itemised phone bill said to have shown Sir Simon calling a gay chat line.

In settling the claim, NGN made no admission of liability in relation to The Sun or The News of the World

Keith Vaz on Labour's panel to select Manchester Gorton candidate

The seemingly indestructible Keith Vaz has popped up again, reports the Daily Mirror.

He is to be a member of the panel that will select Labour's candidate for the Manchester Gorton by-election:

Mr Vaz was drafted onto Labour's five-strong selection panel at the last minute at the expense of shadow cabinet minister Rebecca Long-Bailey, a close ally of Mr Corbyn.

Angry sources close to the Labour leader accused Mr Watson of organising an “ambush” during a fiery telephone meeting on Monday that resulted in Ms Long-Bailey being booted off the panel.

Her name had been on a draft list drawn up by Mr Corbyn’s office ahead of the meeting - but in a telephone conference call key figures from the ‘moderate’ wing of the party including Mr Watson voted her off.

The move will shift the balance of power on the panel significantly, with Labour ‘moderates’ confident that with Mr Vaz’s support they can now block the selection of Mr Corbyn’s favoured candidate.

When we have made jokes about washing machines and noted that not all his Labour colleagues have a high opinion of Mr Vaz - take the mayor of Leicester, for instance - it is worth saying something about the failure of the Corbynites.

Manchester Gorton will be the 11th parliamentary by-election since Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader. In not one of them has the party fielded a candidate who is clearly a supporter of his.

The Labour Party gained many new members because of Corbyn, but they lack the organisational skills or the energy to reshape it in his image.

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