Police under pressure to reopen hacking probe

Scotland Yard is under intense pressure to reopen its investigation into phone hacking by journalists amid claims that Gordon Brown may have been among the victims.

Senior politicians from both Government and opposition combined to demand that police investigate fully the latest allegations that the mobile phones of prominent public figures had been illegally targeted.

Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman said the law must be enforced while the Lib Dem Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said it was "implausible" to claim the practice was confined to "one rogue reporter" at the News of the World.

Their comments came as it was reported that Mr Brown had written to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner expressing concern his that voicemail messages may have been broken into.

The former prime minister is the most senior public figure to be drawn into the controversy, which last week saw Andy Coulson resign as David Cameron's director of communications amid continuing allegations of phone hacking by reporters at the News of the World when he was editor of the paper.

Mr Brown's office would not comment on the reports, while Scotland Yard also declined to respond to the latest allegations. However Ms Harman said that the police had a clear duty to uphold the law.

Scotland Yard formally closed its investigation into the allegations against the News of the World last month. However a number of public figures are continuing to pursue civil legal actions against both the newspaper and the police, prompting a series of fresh disclosures.