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| Daily Mail exec demands apology over anti-Semitism claims | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The Daily Mail will not say sorry to Ed Miliband over its attack on his late father, one of the paper's senior journalists has said. | The Daily Mail will not say sorry to Ed Miliband over its attack on his late father, one of the paper's senior journalists has said. |
| City editor Alex Brummer told the BBC the paper was owed an apology over claims that its Ralph Miliband articles were motivated by anti-Semitism. | |
| Mr Miliband sought to distance himself from the anti-Semitism claims. | |
| But he renewed his demand for the paper's owner Lord Rothermere to investigate its culture and practices. | But he renewed his demand for the paper's owner Lord Rothermere to investigate its culture and practices. |
| Lord Rothermere has apologised to Mr Miliband for a Mail on Sunday reporter intruding on a family memorial service. | Lord Rothermere has apologised to Mr Miliband for a Mail on Sunday reporter intruding on a family memorial service. |
| But he stopped short of saying sorry for a feature branding Marxist academic Ralph Miliband "The man who hated Britain" or agreeing to a wider inquiry into the way his newspapers operate. | But he stopped short of saying sorry for a feature branding Marxist academic Ralph Miliband "The man who hated Britain" or agreeing to a wider inquiry into the way his newspapers operate. |
| 'Not anti-Semitic' | |
| Appearing on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Brummer strongly defended the Daily Mail's original article, which questioned how far Ralph Miliband's left-wing views had influenced his son. | |
| He said: "I don't think we need to apologise for anything. This was a piece which examined somebody's views very carefully." | He said: "I don't think we need to apologise for anything. This was a piece which examined somebody's views very carefully." |
| He hit out at suggestions from the Jewish Chronicle, Labour figures and others that there may have been "a whiff of anti-Semitism" about the coverage. | |
| "I think there are people out there who need to apologise to us because there have been vicious accusations in the last couple of days, from (former Labour leader) Neil Kinnock among others, that somehow this was an anti-Semitic attack," he said. | |
| Mr Miliband told BBC Radio 5Live he was not suggesting the paper was anti-Semitic. | |
| "I'm always incredibly careful about throwing around the idea that the paper or somebody is anti-Semitic or racist unless there is real evidence for that," he said. | |
| "I don't believe that of the Mail, that's not been my issue." | "I don't believe that of the Mail, that's not been my issue." |
| He said that while the newspaper was entitled to hold him to account for his views, the way it had attacked his father was unacceptable. | He said that while the newspaper was entitled to hold him to account for his views, the way it had attacked his father was unacceptable. |
| Crossing a line | Crossing a line |
| "They'll criticise me, they'll say my policies are wrong, that's absolutely fine. But when it comes to my dad, and saying my dad hated Britain, I'm afraid they're crossing a line," he said. | "They'll criticise me, they'll say my policies are wrong, that's absolutely fine. But when it comes to my dad, and saying my dad hated Britain, I'm afraid they're crossing a line," he said. |
| "In all of this, they've never apologised for the fact they said my dad hated Britain - an idea without any foundation." | "In all of this, they've never apologised for the fact they said my dad hated Britain - an idea without any foundation." |
| Mr Miliband said Lord Rothermere now "has a responsibility to take a long hard look" at the way his papers are run. | Mr Miliband said Lord Rothermere now "has a responsibility to take a long hard look" at the way his papers are run. |
| He said: "I hope what Lord Rothermere will do is look at the wider culture and practices at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, because I don't think it's an isolated incident. | He said: "I hope what Lord Rothermere will do is look at the wider culture and practices at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, because I don't think it's an isolated incident. |
| "I'm interested in other families, not in public life, who've had similar experiences." | "I'm interested in other families, not in public life, who've had similar experiences." |
| While acknowledging the Daily Mail - which has a circulation of more than 1.8 million - was a "popular" newspaper, he suggested many of its readers agreed with him that it had "overstepped the mark". | While acknowledging the Daily Mail - which has a circulation of more than 1.8 million - was a "popular" newspaper, he suggested many of its readers agreed with him that it had "overstepped the mark". |
| Mail on Sunday editor Geordie Greig said a reporter had been sent to a memorial service for Mr Miliband's uncle without his knowledge and an investigation was being held into "a decision which was wrong". | Mail on Sunday editor Geordie Greig said a reporter had been sent to a memorial service for Mr Miliband's uncle without his knowledge and an investigation was being held into "a decision which was wrong". |
| Dacre meetings | Dacre meetings |
| Both he and Lord Rothermere apologised "unreservedly", with the peer also writing to Mr Miliband. | Both he and Lord Rothermere apologised "unreservedly", with the peer also writing to Mr Miliband. |
| Neither Labour nor the Daily Mail and General Trust - the papers' parent company - have released the text of Lord Rothermere's response to Mr Miliband. | Neither Labour nor the Daily Mail and General Trust - the papers' parent company - have released the text of Lord Rothermere's response to Mr Miliband. |
| Mr Miliband told 5Live he had met the Daily Mail's editor Paul Dacre "two or three times" since becoming Labour leader. | Mr Miliband told 5Live he had met the Daily Mail's editor Paul Dacre "two or three times" since becoming Labour leader. |
| He said: "My personal dealings with him have been absolutely professional. Sometimes we've disagreed about issues: We've disagreed about press standards, but sometimes we've agreed on some issues." | He said: "My personal dealings with him have been absolutely professional. Sometimes we've disagreed about issues: We've disagreed about press standards, but sometimes we've agreed on some issues." |
| The row comes ahead of a crucial meeting of MPs next Wednesday on press regulation. | The row comes ahead of a crucial meeting of MPs next Wednesday on press regulation. |
| They will consider rival proposals for a new regulator to replace the Press Complaints Commission. | They will consider rival proposals for a new regulator to replace the Press Complaints Commission. |
| Mr Miliband, along with the three main political parties and press intrusion victims campaign group Hacked Off, backs a form of press regulation backed by royal charter. | Mr Miliband, along with the three main political parties and press intrusion victims campaign group Hacked Off, backs a form of press regulation backed by royal charter. |
| The newspaper industry, among them the country's largest newspaper groups, including Mail publisher DMG Media, News UK, owner of the Sun and the Times, Telegraph Media Group and Trinity Mirror, have put forward a rival plan, rejecting "state-sponsored regulation". | The newspaper industry, among them the country's largest newspaper groups, including Mail publisher DMG Media, News UK, owner of the Sun and the Times, Telegraph Media Group and Trinity Mirror, have put forward a rival plan, rejecting "state-sponsored regulation". |
| In his Today programme interview, Mr Brummer defended the Mail's journalistic methods, saying it was "extraordinarily careful" about how it pursued a story. | In his Today programme interview, Mr Brummer defended the Mail's journalistic methods, saying it was "extraordinarily careful" about how it pursued a story. |
| He said: "I hear the editor, I hear the deputy editor almost every day saying to reporters, saying to editors of their sections 'be careful how you go about getting a particular story'. | He said: "I hear the editor, I hear the deputy editor almost every day saying to reporters, saying to editors of their sections 'be careful how you go about getting a particular story'. |
| "That's a practice which goes to the core of the paper, and I do think there are some good ethical roots in the paper and this is the exception rather than the rule." | "That's a practice which goes to the core of the paper, and I do think there are some good ethical roots in the paper and this is the exception rather than the rule." |
| A member of Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry team expressed concern that Mr Miliband's row with the Mail could be used as "a cudgel to try to beat the press" and push through tighter regulation. | A member of Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry team expressed concern that Mr Miliband's row with the Mail could be used as "a cudgel to try to beat the press" and push through tighter regulation. |
| Former Daily Telegraph political editor George Jones said: "We were quite clear in those discussions that we did not want to get into the question of taste, we didn't want be arbiters of what was in good taste and what was in bad taste. | |
| "In my view, once you go down that road you do seriously compromise freedom of speech." | |