MPs delay naming City firms linked to hacking

The Home Affairs select committee has delayed its decision to publish a list of City firms linked to the phone hacking scandal through rogue private investigators.

The committee initially set the Serious Organised Crime Agency a deadline of 9 September to publish the list or it would do so. It will now wait until 8 October before making a decision.

The list contains nine insurers, eight financial services firms, one venture capitalist, two accountancy firms and one auditing firm which have all been linked to rogue private investigators during an inquiry into the PI industry.

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham is investigating the PI sector and will report back on 8 October.

A committee spokesman says: “In contrast to the rigorous police investigation of those in the media accused of being involved in the unlawful trade in information, little if anything seems to have been done to investigate those in other sectors, such as law and insurance.”