Ministers win special status at inquiry

Prime Minister David Cameron and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt were given the right yesterday to see Leveson Inquiry documents and witness statements in advance.

Eight Cabinet ministers were named as “core participants” – people who have a significant interest in the hearings or may face criticism.

The move comes ahead of potentially explosive testimony next week from formernewsinternational executives Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson.

All the ministers granted “core participant” status yesterday – exceptchancellor George Osborne – will give evidence in person over the coming weeks.

Lord Justice Leveson insisted that all the ministers and their advisers must sign a confidentiality pledgenot to leakanyof the material they see in advance.

Existing core participants for the inquiry’s third “module”, which is looking at relations between the press and politicians, include Mrs Brooks and a number of current and former MPS.

The government faced calls formrhunt’s resignation last week after the Leveson Inquiry released emails detailing contacts between his office and a senior executive at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. The government was still deciding at the time whether to clear News Corp’s bid to buy all of BSKYB – a bid which was later abandoned.