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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| The Sun 'completely confident' over 'Queen backs Brexit' story | The Sun 'completely confident' over 'Queen backs Brexit' story |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The Sun's editor-in-chief has said he is "in no doubt" that the newspaper's article claiming the Queen backs a UK exit from the EU is accurate. | The Sun's editor-in-chief has said he is "in no doubt" that the newspaper's article claiming the Queen backs a UK exit from the EU is accurate. |
| Tony Gallagher told the BBC he was "completely confident" that the report and its headline reflected her views. | Tony Gallagher told the BBC he was "completely confident" that the report and its headline reflected her views. |
| Buckingham Palace complained to the press watchdog on Wednesday about the article, which was headlined "Queen backs Brexit". | Buckingham Palace complained to the press watchdog on Wednesday about the article, which was headlined "Queen backs Brexit". |
| The palace has insisted the Queen is "politically neutral". | The palace has insisted the Queen is "politically neutral". |
| The Sun quoted anonymous sources, one of whom claimed to have witnessed a "bust-up" between the Queen and pro-EU former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in 2011. | The Sun quoted anonymous sources, one of whom claimed to have witnessed a "bust-up" between the Queen and pro-EU former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in 2011. |
| Mr Clegg has said he could not remember any such incident and called the story "nonsense". | |
| The UK is due to hold an in/out referendum on its membership of the EU on 23 June. Prime Minister David Cameron is leading the campaign for Britain to stay part of the bloc. | The UK is due to hold an in/out referendum on its membership of the EU on 23 June. Prime Minister David Cameron is leading the campaign for Britain to stay part of the bloc. |
| All you need to know about the EU referendum | All you need to know about the EU referendum |
| UK and the EU - better off out or in? | UK and the EU - better off out or in? |
| Mr Gallagher told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it was "not my fault" if the Sun had published an "inconvenient" story. | Mr Gallagher told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it was "not my fault" if the Sun had published an "inconvenient" story. |
| He said the paper's duty was to its readers, "not the elite who might be upset at what we've written". | |
| Asked if the headline "Queen backs Brexit" had been overwritten, he replied: "Absolutely not." | Asked if the headline "Queen backs Brexit" had been overwritten, he replied: "Absolutely not." |
| "We knew much more than we published." | "We knew much more than we published." |
| When it was put to him that the Queen's alleged remarks had been made before it was known there would be a referendum, Mr Gallagher said this was "semantics". | |
| Leader of the House of Commons Chris Grayling, who wants Britain to leave the EU, told Today that conversations with the Queen were "always to be kept private". | |
| "She's always been very scrupulous about not being politically partisan," he said. | |
| Second conversation | |
| The Sun's report had said the Queen's exchange with Mr Clegg at a lunch left "no room for doubt about her passionate feelings over Europe". | |
| It said her "reprimand" of Mr Clegg "went on for some time and stunned other guests". | It said her "reprimand" of Mr Clegg "went on for some time and stunned other guests". |
| The paper said the Queen also revealed her feelings about Europe during a separate conversation with MPs at Buckingham Palace "a few years ago". | The paper said the Queen also revealed her feelings about Europe during a separate conversation with MPs at Buckingham Palace "a few years ago". |
| It claimed the Queen told them: "I don't understand Europe" - words an unnamed parliamentary source said she spoke with "venom and emotion". | It claimed the Queen told them: "I don't understand Europe" - words an unnamed parliamentary source said she spoke with "venom and emotion". |
| The Buckingham Palace complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) was made under clause one of the editors' code of practice, which relates to accuracy and specifies that headlines should be supported by the main text of reports. | |
| Media commentator Steve Hewlett said that since the "principal conversation" reported by the Sun had taken place in 2011 when "the term Brexit hadn't even been invented", Ipso was likely to investigate "whether the Sun had any more [material] than they have published, in order to justify the headline". | |
| He told Today his "best guess" was that such an inquiry would take "two months or slightly longer", pushing completion close to the date of the referendum. | |
| Change of tone? | |
| In other comments, Mr Gallagher said it was "ridiculous" to suggest the Sun had adopted a deliberate, more critical tone towards the royal family, including the Duke of Cambridge, saying the paper judged stories on their merits. | |
| "It's not just the Sun newspaper that's highlighted the fact that we see Prince William as being work shy," he said. | |
| "Most of the national press have pointed out the fact that he doesn't seem to have a very taxing job in Norfolk and does very few royal duties. It's a matter of record." |