Politics and the Murdoch press

As someone involved, albeit on the fringes, in discussions before the last election about the possibility of a judicial inquiry into phone hacking, I don't see a contradiction between Gordon Brown's and Gus O'Donnell's versions of events (Report, 15 July). Gordon wanted to explore such an inquiry and ministers in the relevant departments tried to help. We experienced, as Alan Johnson has already described, massive push-back from officials at the Home Office and the police, who said they would resent such interference in their operational independence.

I was aware that the civil service "at the highest level" opposed an inquiry, but was not shown the now published note from Gus O'Donnell. He's right of course that technically a decision was for the PM, but given the cabinet secretary's clearly expressed view that it would be seen as "politically motivated", just cast your minds back to the context then - it would have been suicidal. We didn't know then what we know now and for Gordon to have forced an inquiry against the advice of his cabinet secretary a few months before a election we were expected to lose would have been seen (wrongly as it happens) as the last desperate throw of the dice by a weakened PM and would have brought a hailstorm of condemnation – and not just from the Murdoch press.

Ben Bradshaw MP

Culture secretary 2009-10

• The Sun's justification of its decision to splash the confidential details of Fraser Brown's medical condition on its front page (Report, 13 July) leaves as many questions unanswered. For instance, did the anonymous member of the public who provided the information of this child's cystic fibrosis provide any kind of evidence other than hearsay? If so, what did it consist of and how was it obtained? And if they did not provide the evidence, how did the Sun verify the information? Is the source an employee or ex-employee of News International and were they paid?

I will not hold my breath for answers. The recent events have abundantly shown that the medical records of an infant can be safely ignored to shift a few thousand extra copies of a newspaper.

William Carolan

Glasgow

• The Sun chose the week of the Labour party conference to declare its support for the Conservatives, so as to cause maximum embarrassment for Mr Brown. It has long been rumoured that this was as a direct result of a meeting between James Murdoch and the Conservatives, the deal on the table amounting to: you come out in support of us now, and we'll pledge to start the break-up of the BBC when we get into office. If it transpires that the Murdoch family's influence on government policy was pervasive enough to endanger quality broadcasting in the UK – with BSkyB stepping in to fill the void – then that surely would be a serious matter for the prime minister.

Paul Kirkley

Histon, Cambridgeshire

• Freedom and independence of the press is a precious principle in any liberal democracy. The UK is long overdue a review of the regulatory environment governing print media and the failure of the self-regulatory approach to rein in the worst excesses of bad journalism, exemplified in the latest revelations from sections of the Murdoch empire. The near unanimous wave of criticism across the political spectrum suggests that quite a number of politicians are venting long-repressed feelings of anger and resentment at the declining standards of British news reporting which, for a decade or more has been led by the nose by the populist and openly europhobic Murdoch press.

The events surrounding the demise of News of the World may yet lead to a cathartic and beneficial cleaning of the media stables and, I hope, result in a more honest and rational public debate on European issues that leaves everyone better informed rather than simply more intensely prejudiced. Press freedom, if it is to be truly preserved must involve independence from party political influence and from that of overbearing proprietors pursuing their own agenda.

Graham Watson MEP

Former leader, European Liberal and Democrat group

Guardian