Former British PM says newspaper hired “known criminals”

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused a prominent News Corp. newspaper on Tuesday of employing “known criminals” to gather personal information on his finances, family and legal affairs, the latest blow to Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in Britain. Brown’s allegations broaden the scandal beyond The News of the World, the newspaper at the centre of the scandal, to include News Corp.’s most prestigious publication in its U.K. newspaper unit, the Sunday Times. Brown told the BBC in an interview, “The people that they work with are criminals. Known criminals. Criminals with records.” News Corp. says it is investigating Brown’s accusations.

Wall Street Journal