Metropolitan Police did not see phone hack list

The list contains 102 firms and individuals. Picture: TSPL

The list was compiled by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which is coming under pressure from the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee to publish the names of those found to have used investigators to obtain private information.

Committee chairman Keith Vaz said it was “very surprising” that the list was not shared with the Met, which is carrying out inquiries codenamed Weeting, Elvedon and Tuleta into allegations of phone-hacking, illicit payments to public officials and computer hacking by journalists, some linked to private investigators.

The list contains 102 firms and individuals, including blue chip companies, law firms and financial services groups.

Vaz wrote to Scotland Yard last week to ask how long the Met had been in possession of the list. Commander Neil Basu replied that at the time of receiving the letter he had not seen it, although it was forwarded to him later that day – last Tuesday.

Vaz said: “It is very surprising that the first time the Metropolitan Police had access to these lists was on 30 July. This is even more puzzling considering the joint statement released on 12 July, 2013, by SOCA and the Met which stated that ‘the MPS has been given full access to all material held by SOCA’. Clearly this was not the case.”