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| Boris Johnson defends Guardian over NSA revelations | Boris Johnson defends Guardian over NSA revelations |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Boris Johnson has issued a staunch defence of the Guardian's "salient and interesting" revelations about the activities of US and UK intelligence agencies based on secret documents leaked by Edward Snowden. | Boris Johnson has issued a staunch defence of the Guardian's "salient and interesting" revelations about the activities of US and UK intelligence agencies based on secret documents leaked by Edward Snowden. |
| The mayor of London told an audience at the World Islamic Economic Forum that it was important that governments and their spies were held to account by a "beady-eyed" media. | The mayor of London told an audience at the World Islamic Economic Forum that it was important that governments and their spies were held to account by a "beady-eyed" media. |
| "I think the public deserves to know. The world is better for government being kept under the beady-eyed scrutiny of the media and for salient and interesting facts about public espionage being brought into the public domain." | "I think the public deserves to know. The world is better for government being kept under the beady-eyed scrutiny of the media and for salient and interesting facts about public espionage being brought into the public domain." |
| Johnson's intervention puts him at odds with David Cameron, who has said the leaks have made the UK less safe. This week the prime minister issued a veiled threat to take "tougher measures" against the Guardian and other newspapers. | |
| Johnson highlighted news that the German chancellor Angela Merkel's phone had been bugged by the US National Security Agency, a story originally reported in the German news weekly Der Spiegel. | Johnson highlighted news that the German chancellor Angela Merkel's phone had been bugged by the US National Security Agency, a story originally reported in the German news weekly Der Spiegel. |
| "I personally defend the Guardian's right to publish interesting information such as that Angela Merkel's phone was bugged by Barack Obama. I think that is an interesting fact," he said. | "I personally defend the Guardian's right to publish interesting information such as that Angela Merkel's phone was bugged by Barack Obama. I think that is an interesting fact," he said. |
| "I don't believe that the fact that Angela Merkel's phone was bugged by the NSA does anything to jeopardise anybody's security, it's merely colossally embarrassing and it should come out." | "I don't believe that the fact that Angela Merkel's phone was bugged by the NSA does anything to jeopardise anybody's security, it's merely colossally embarrassing and it should come out." |
| Asked whether his own phone had ever been bugged, Johnson quipped: "I'm sure my mobile has been bugged by everybody, and good luck to them!" | Asked whether his own phone had ever been bugged, Johnson quipped: "I'm sure my mobile has been bugged by everybody, and good luck to them!" |
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