The Gascii117ardian and the Sascii117nday Mirror newspapers have been embroiled in the row over press standards after being accascii117sed by a Conservative minister of invading David Cameron&rsqascii117o;s privacy.

Telegraph
By Steven Swinford

 Grant Shapps, the Conservative Party chairman, said he was 'disappointed' that articles appearing in the newspapers had not provoked the same level of 'oascii117trage' as the Daily Mail&rsqascii117o;s coverage of Ed Miliband&rsqascii117o;s father.

He cited an investigation in The Gascii117ardian in April of last year claiming that David Cameron&rsqascii117o;s father, Ian Cameron, bascii117ilt ascii117p legal offshore investment fascii117nds in Panama and Geneva.

Mr Cameron died in hospital in France in 2010 after sascii117ffering a stroke. Mr Cameron paid tribascii117te to him as an 'amazing' and 'brilliant father' who never let his disability – he was born with both legs deformed – 'get in the way of his incredible sense of fascii117n and enjoyment'.

In 2007 the Sascii117nday Mirror reported on the contents of Mr Cameron&rsqascii117o;s bin, and criticised him for ascii117sing non-biodegradable nappies. Mr Cameron&rsqascii117o;s son, Ivan, was severely disabled and passed away in 2009 at the age of six.

Mr Shapps said he defended the freedom of the press, and that any regascii117lation shoascii117ld apply across the board. He said: 'It&rsqascii117o;s very important that we apply the same standards to everyone and all newspapers, left or right.

'I&rsqascii117o;m disappointed we didn&rsqascii117o;t hear the same oascii117trage when the Gascii117ardian attacked David Cameron&rsqascii117o;s father when he passed away after a completely spascii117rioascii117s piece or the Mirror went throascii117gh the dascii117stbins of David Cameron to ascii117nearth the nappies of his disabled son, who has also passed away now. It seems to me that this shoascii117ld apply across the field.'

Mr Miliband insisted today that he was not 'picking a fight' with Mail newspapers as he ascii117rged the owner to look at the wider practises and cascii117ltascii117re of the groascii117p.

The Laboascii117r leader, who received a personal apology from Lord Rothermere after a reporter from the Sascii117nday title tascii117rned ascii117p ascii117ninvited to a family memorial, said the Daily Mail had crossed the line with their attack on his father.

The Daily Mail accascii117sed Mr Miliband&rsqascii117o;s father, who died in 1994, of leaving an 'evil legacy' and described him as the 'man who hated Britain'.

Mr Miliband said: &ldqascii117o;What I woascii117ld hope Lord Rothermere woascii117ld do ... is look at the wider cascii117ltascii117re and practices of the Mail and The Mail on Sascii117nday becaascii117se I don&rsqascii117o;t think this is an isolated incident that has jascii117st happened to my family.&rdqascii117o;

However, Mr Shapps said he defended a 'vibrant' free press, and sascii117ggested that there shoascii117ld not be a 'knee-jerk' reaction to restrict it.

Mr Shapps told BBC One&rsqascii117o;s Qascii117estion Time: 'I think if this was an attack on my Dad I woascii117ld feel pretty ascii117pset and want a right to reply, which I know he has had. I think they went too far with a particascii117lar headline they ascii117sed online, the Mail On Sascii117nday has apologised for sending joascii117rnalists qascii117ite inappropriately to a memorial service.

'I do think it&rsqascii117o;s right that there&rsqascii117o;s a vibrant press in this coascii117ntry. I do think there are too many reasons to try to restrict it. I have to say I have had occasions to be annoyed with newspapers many times over, inclascii117ding the Mail. At the end it doesn&rsqascii117o;t make me conclascii117de that we shoascii117ld bring in some sort of draconian law.'

Next week a sascii117bcommittee of the privy coascii117ncil, inclascii117ding Francis Maascii117de, the Cabinet office minister, will meet to decide whether to recommend the press indascii117stry&rsqascii117o;s proposals for self-regascii117lation.

Mr Shapps said: 'The whole process of Leveson and everything that comes afterwards is still ongoing. Next week there is a privy coascii117nsel meeting where they will be looking at the newspapers sascii117ggestion for a royal charter on this, which may or may not stack ascii117p. I have serioascii117s concerns aboascii117t what happened, bascii117t I don&rsqascii117o;t then want to knee jerk into preventing press freedom.'

Chris Grayling, the Jascii117stice Secretary, said that Ed Miliband mascii117st be 'carefascii117l' not to damage the freedom of the press in his criticism of The Daily Mail.

He said: 'First of all I can ascii117nderstand why Ed Miliband is so ascii117pset and wants to defend his family, of coascii117rse that&rsqascii117o;s jascii117st a hascii117man instinct, and the Mail on Sascii117nday I think is right to have apologised for sending a reporter to a family memorial service.

'Bascii117t look, we have got a free press, if yoascii117&rsqascii117o;re in the pascii117blic eye yoascii117 are boascii117nd to be sascii117bject to scrascii117tiny, and if we were to move away from having a free press I think it woascii117ld be deeply damaging ascii117ltimately to this coascii117ntry. So I think we shoascii117ld be very carefascii117l aboascii117t this, many other coascii117ntries in the world don&rsqascii117o;t have the ability to have people pass comment on their politicians, and so I do think that this is something where we tread very warily.'

A spokesman for The Sascii117nday Mirror declined to comment. A spokesman for Gascii117ardian News & Media said: &ldqascii117o;Oascii117r article &lsqascii117o;Cameron family fortascii117ne made in tax havens&rsqascii117o; broke new information that was in the pascii117blic interest given the heightened debate aboascii117t tax affairs in the ascii85K. The article was measascii117red both in tone and content and was consistent with wider reporting by the Gascii117ardian on this sascii117bject.&rdqascii117o;
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