The Independent Press Standards Organisation has cleared the Sunday Mirror of any wrongdoing over the sexting sting on Tory MP Brooks Newmark. Despite unfounded allegations made by the the less popular elements of the Twittersphere and the sloppy journalism of Media Guardian, among others, the press regulator found that the use of subterfuge was justified. The ruling also accepted that the story was in the public interest because it exposed “serious impropriety” by Newmark.

The CEO of IPSO Matt Tee said:

“The editors’ code prohibits subterfuge unless in the public interest, and only then where there is no other practical means of obtaining the story. After a lengthy investigation we have found that the subterfuge used was justified at each stage of the investigation and publication was in the public interest.”

As Guido said all along, the story was legitimate and carried out in the public interest. Brooks Newmark was one of the founders of “Women2Win”, a campaign to get more Conservative women into politics. This was no fishing operation, it was a narrowly targeted effort. As the later revelations of his affair further proved, and IPSO have finally agreed, the investigation was justified. Subterfuge and clandestine methods will continue to be used to go after wrong ‘uns – there is no other way.