Tabloid bosses face 'taps' quiz

John Prescott" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-70826" height="175" src="http://www.shropshirestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/pa-7547898-116x175.jpg" title="Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott" width="116"/>Newspaper chiefs are to be summoned by the chairman of an influential Commons committee to answer "serious questions" following fresh claims about the use of phone taps.

Tory MP John Whittingdale indicated he would recommend the culture, media and sport committee reopen an inquiry into the issue when it held urgent discussions on Thursday.

He spoke out after The Guardian claimed News Group Newspapers, which publishes titles including the News of the World, had paid out more than £1 million to settle cases that threatened to reveal evidence of its journalists' alleged involvement in telephone hacking.

It quoted sources saying police officers had found evidence of News Group staff using private investigators who had hacked into "thousands" of mobile phones.

"My view is that this has raised very serious questions about the evidence given to us," Mr Whittingdale said. "There are a number of questions I would like to put to News International on the basis of what The Guardian has reported. It may well be that we decide that we wish to have somebody from News International appear before us."

Meanwhile, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has attacked David Cameron for failing to take action against his director of communications amid the phone tap allegations.

Mr Cameron was said by a Tory party spokeswoman to be "very relaxed about the story" involving Tory director of communications Andy Coulson - the former editor of the News of the World.

Mr Prescott, who says he wants answers from police over claims they knew his phone was tapped by private investigators working for journalists, said he was "staggered" the Tory leader was "relaxed" about the role played by Mr Coulson. Mr Prescott accused Mr Cameron of double standards after the Tory leader had demanded the Government sack Damian McBride, the Downing Street aide who resigned amid the Tory email-slur saga.

He told BBC Breakfast: "If these allegations are to be believed, the enormity of it is unbelievable. I am actually staggered that Mr Cameron, who employed Mr Coulson, who was the editor at the time through all these allegations, says he's quite relaxed about these allegations."

MPs from all three parties, including Mr Prescott and Cabinet minister Tessa Jowell, were among the targets of alleged phone taps by journalists working for News Group Newspapers, The Guardian said.