The independent panel investigating the Daniel Morgan scandal is refusing the home secretary’s demands to hand over its report before it can be published, as senior police sources say nothing in the case affects national security. Priti Patel provoked fury on Tuesday by demanding the findings be handed over for review prior to publication, angering both the Morgan family and members of the panel conducting the inquiry. The report, which runs to more than 1,000 pages, was already at the printers when the Home Office intervened. Raju Bhatt, solicitor for the Morgan family, told the Guardian that the panel should stand firm, and the home secretary should back down to end the “torture” of the Morgan family and their 34-year quest for answers. “It also reveals a disturbing disregard for the public interest in safeguarding the independence of the panel and its report.”

Source: The Guardian May 19, 2021 19:03 UTC