Paul Dacre, the editor of the Daily Mail, appeared before the Commons culture, media and sport committee yesterday to give evidence on the issues of privacy and media intrusion.

Dacre said he wouldn't deny that he ran a lot of celebrity journalism, but added: "If I was prurient to an unacceptable level, people wouldn't read the newspaper. I trust my readers' decency."

Legal experts also told the committee that parliament should debate a privacy bill to prevent law being introduced by "stealth".