Here's another twist in the Hain donations row - a statement from lobbyists Morgan Allen Moore (chairman, Steve Morgan):
"Please be advised that we are reporting the Mail on Sunday newspaper to the Press Complaints Commission over an article in today's edition which suggests we were responsible for a visit by the Works and Pensions Minister Peter Hain to a newly opened Tesco supermarket in Wales.
Prior to publication the Works and Pensions Department itself issued a formal statement advising that the suggestion was inaccurate and that Morgan Allen Moore (a public affairs company) had not been involved in the visit.
Despite this statement the newspaper chose to carry a two page article suggesting that we were involved in the event.
The newspaper also failed to provide Morgan Allen Moore with an opportunity to answer specific allegations prior to publication.
The Mail on Sunday itself undermined the credibility of the entire article by stating in the final paragraph that an official at the Works and Pensions Department said Morgan Allen Moore "had nothing to do with Mr Hain's Tesco visit."
Despite this it chose to publish a story that was blatantly inaccurate and misleading.
We are also today considering options for taking legal action against the newspaper."
The article in question is on the paper's website.
3 comments:
Let em bring it on!
"Speak softly of the crocodile's mother when crossing the river!"
You would have thought that a PA company would be trumpeting the fact that it had got a minister to endorse a client! Perhaps Tesco doesn't need them?
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