Clegg claims credit for phone-hacking inquiry
By Alex Stevenson Follow @alex__stevenson
The deputy prime minister was the first person in government to suggest there should be a judge-led inquiry, he has claimed.
Nick Clegg told reporters at an end-of-term press conference that his focus in recent weeks had been on ensuring the coalition's response was "as strong, independent and robust as possible".
He also claimed he was the first minister to call for Rupert Murdoch to reconsider his now-abandoned £10 billion bid to purchase broadcaster BSKyB, and the first to call for the Leveson inquiry to cover police and politicians as well as the press.
"I think that will go a long, long way to cleaning up what was an unhealthy state of affairs," Mr Clegg said.
"I passionately believe in open, transparent government when people are not in each others' pockets."
The Liberal Democrat leader was keen to emphasise his party's different approach to media issues to their coalition partners.
"I don't think anyone should be surprised that the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives come at this from completely different directions," he added.
He cited the Lib Dem campaign for new pluralism rules in the media under Paddy Ashdown's leadership in the 1990s.
"The Liberal Democrats have had a particularly unique role in raising issues which were ignored by other parties for years and years and years," Mr Clegg said.
He faced repeated questions from journalists about David Cameron's decision to hire former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as his director of communications in No 10.
Mr Clegg confirmed he had warned the prime minister against the decision but said the PM had been "very frank and candid" on the issue.
"I questioned and asked questions about some of the decisions about who was being brought into government who had been active in opposition," he said.
"At the end of the day it was the prime minister's decision and I think the prime minister has been quite upfront."
