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Index to News Releases concerning Hunt & Keith-Hill's investigation

J B Hunt disseminated this News Release to all Britain’s major news organisations including BBC TV News; BBC Radio news & current affairs programmes, ITN, national newspapers, and the Press Association news agency.  The Press Association, on whose output the centralised British news media relies, refused to disseminate news of the press conference and report, giving as its reason the fact that the Guardian is one of its shareholders.
    BBC Radio 4's 'Today' Programme responded and showed interest initially.  However, all interest ceased after being informed by Hunt that he & his colleague had uncovered a criminal conspiracy involving two consecutive Guardian editors and senior Guardian journalists, which succeeded in perverting the course of Sir Gordon Downey's inquiry.

Malcolm Keith-Hill holds up a copy of the report of Sir Gordon Downey's inquiry, to which The Guardian's editors and journalists submitted forged documents and lied in oral examination (BBCNW, 9.11.97.)

On the day of the conference David Leigh & David Hencke of the Guardian turned up early, whereupon Leigh threatened Hunt & Keith Hill with libel actions to try and stop them from proceeding with their conference.  It was the second time that Leigh had threatened the two provincial freelances with libel actions.
    The only other news organisations to attend were BBC TV, Granada TV, the Daily Mail, and the Independent.  However, Granada attended without camera crew and did not report the conference, despite the fact that only a week earlier the NW Royal Television Society had selected Hunt to represent Granada for Best News Reporter of 1997.  The Mail reporter, Gaby Hinsliff, did not report the conference and shortly afterwards left the Mail  to work for the Guardian.  Despite its national importance the BBC reported the conference only in the NW region.

The Guardian's comment editor David Leigh disrupts Hunt & Keith-Hill's press conference (BBCNW, 9.11.97)

Embargoed till 29. 10. 97

News Release

Independent Report into the allegations against Neil Hamilton released

Today Wednesday 29 10 97 at 10.45 am in the Ground Floor Conference Room (G39), 7 Millbank, Westminster, television reporter Jonathan Hunt and television producer/director Malcolm Keith-Hill will hold a Press Conference to publicise the release of a their investigation into the Downey Report on the 'cash for questions' allegations against Neil Hamilton. Neil Hamilton will be in attendance.

The 49,000-word Report is the product of an exhaustive five-month examination into the evidence put before Sir Gordon Downey. Other evidence not considered by Sir Gordon is also examined. Copies of the Report will be available for the Press.

Neil Hamilton referred to this Report in his televised statement to the Select Committee on 14 October 1997. He later passed it to the Chairman, Robert Sheldon, for consideration.

Sir Gordon's handling of the Inquiry and his examination of the evidence comes in for scathing criticism by Hunt and Keith-Hill in almost all areas.

The two journalists find no reliable evidence to support the 'cash for questions' allegations against Neil Hamilton. They find no reliable evidence to support the contention that the allegations against Neil Hamilton existed in July 1993. They find overwhelming evidence to support the contention that the allegations did not emerge until late September 1994.

This supports Neil Hamilton's contention that the allegations were false and concocted out of spite because Hamilton refused to abuse his ministerial position at the DTI by helping Fayed by having the damning DTI report into the Fayed brothers' take-over of House of Fraser reviewed.

Mohamed Fayed's subsequent application to the European Court of Human Rights to have the DTI Report annulled was rejected in a ruling on 21 September 1994.

Hunt and Keith-Hill's research suggests that there has been an audacious cover-up.

This would necessarily have involved a respected broadsheet newspaper's journalists at the very highest level. It involved the misrepresentation of evidence and the giving of false testimony to the Downey Inquiry.

As a result of their investigations, in September this year, at Hunt and Keith-Hill's request, Neil Hamilton wrote to Sir Gordon Downey for clarification as to the authenticity of certain evidence on which he relied in his judgement. Sir Gordon's reply of 7 October 1997 CONFIRMED THAT THIS EVIDENCE WAS FALSE.  Copies of Sir Gordon's letter will be available to the Press.

The nature of the deception on Sir Gordon Downey will be explained at the conference by Hunt and Keith-Hill and documents will be produced.

The two journalists welcome the opportunity to answer questions about their report.

For more information contact:
Jonathan Hunt and Malcolm Keith Hill
Tel: 0161 877 xxxx Fax: 0161 872 xxxx

Press Handout 19 October 1998

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