Gordon Brown has said he was "in tears" when Rebekah Brooks told him The Sun was to publish a story about his infant son's illness.
In an interview with the BBC the former prime minister said he could not think of a way the tabloid could have obtained the details of Fraser's cystic fibrosis legitimately.
"The problem that I have is, if this is a policy of newspapers in this country, that they are going to write about the medical conditions of young children, then you’ve got to ask yourselves, where are they getting this information from?" he said.
"I was approached by The Sun newspaper. They told me they had this story about Fraser's medical condition and they were going to run this story."
Brown said he had never talked publically about his children before and had always been reluctant to "bring them in to the political arena".
"I've always sought to keep them from the glare of publicity. I'm not sure even at this stage I want my son to be able to go on to the internet when he is six or seven and find all these stories written about him," he said.
The former prime minister added: "They will have to explain themselves. I can't think of any way the medical condition can be put in to the public area legitimacy."
News International has insisted the information was obtained "by legal means".
Brown also said he was "genuinely shocked" to discover the Sunday Times had broken into his lawyer's files to get information about his purchase of a house.
News International links to 'criminal underworld'
And he accused News International of having links with the "criminal underworld".
"I find it quite incredible that supposedly reputable organisation made its money, produced its commercial results, at expense of ordinary people by using known criminals," he said.
Brown added: "I've had my bank accounts broken into, my lawyer's files effectively blagged, as they call it, my tax returns went missing at one point, medical records have been broken into.
"In two of these instances there is absolute proof that News International was involved in hiring people to get this information.
"And I do know also the people they work with…are criminals. Known criminals. Criminals with records.
"These links with the criminal underworld means there is nothing a serious organisation can say when it is alleged they are operating underhand tactics."
He added: "People will rightly say, how can reputable news organisation in the country run their affairs by using known criminals."
Article Comments
Why has it taken him so long to come forward?
Was he (a serving Prime Minister) also cowed by Murdoch?
Press ownership needs sorting out. When the country has a weak PM, press barons end up running the show. Blair's inability to stand up to Washington was obvious to see, but now we learn Murdoch forced him to U-turn over Europe. Brown was obviously no braver.
Terry
13th Jul 2011 at 9:18 am
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