Daniel Morgan: Murder victim’s brother says Priti Patel report review is ‘nonsense’

Independent panel said review was ‘unnecessary’ after eight-year probe into unsolved murder linked to police corruption

No one has been brought to justice over Daniel Morgan’s murder in March 1987 (PA)

The brother of murdered private detective Daniel Morgan has called claims the home secretary has to review a report into his death over national security concerns “nonsense”.

Following an eight-year probe, an independent panel said its report into the unsolved 1987 murder was initially due to be published on 17 May, but was then moved to Monday by the Home Office.

A public row broke out when the panel and Mr Morgan’s relatives were told that Priti Patel would be reviewing the document, and its publication was delayed.

Following an urgent question in the House of Commons on Monday, MPs were told the home secretary had to check for potential national security risks.

Mr Morgan’s brother Alastair, who has been campaigning for justice for three decades, called the claim “nonsense” and said the delay was unwarranted.

“[The report] has already been checked by the panel and the Metropolitan Police in this context,” he wrote on Twitter.

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins said the home secretary would lay the report in parliament as soon as possible, but had not yet received it from the panel.

Ms Atkins did not rule out possible redactions, telling MPs: “The home secretary has responsibilities in terms of national security and the Human Rights Act.

“Once her duties have been discharged then this report will be published.”

Several opposition MPs raised concerns about the process, and called for the government to commit to a date for the report’s publication.

Labour MP Chris Bryant, who tabled the urgent question, argued that the home secretary had no powers of review under the terms of reference for the independent panel.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said security checks had already been carried out by a Metropolitan Police team.

Yvette Cooper, chair of the Home Affairs Committee, warned that the delay “only serves to increase distrust and unease” and called for the report to be published before parliament rises for its Whitsun recess on Thursday.

The Daniel Morgan Independent Panel and relatives have accused the home secretary of overstepping her role (BBC)

Ms Atkins said she could not commit to a date for publication because the Home Office had not yet received the report.

“The home secretary has her own responsibilities that she cannot transfer to anyone else,” she added.

“In relation to national security concerns, she has access to information that very few people in this country have access to.”

Ms Atkins said the government had “no interest” in editing the report and wanted the “truth to come out” regarding Mr Morgan’s death, and the corruption surrounding it.

The private investigator was brutally murdered in the car park of a London pub in March 1987.

Despite five police inquiries and an inquest, no one has been brought to justice over the father-of-two's death, and the Metropolitan Police has admitted that corruption hampered the original murder investigation.

The independent panel, which was established by Theresa May in 2013, said its findings were due to be published in parliament on 17 May.

It said it was initially told that a backlog caused by Prince Philip’s death had delayed the report until 24 May.

“There was no mention by the Home Office of a need to review the report,” a statement from the panel said last week.

“A review of this nature has not been raised previously in the eight years since the panel was established in 2013.

“The panel believes that this last-minute requirement is unnecessary and is not consistent with the panel’s independence.”

A statement added that the Home Office was to be provided with a copy of the report a working day before it was tabled in parliament as a “courtesy”.

In the inquiry’s official terms of reference, the only role specified for the home secretary is to “make arrangements for the final report’s publication to parliament”.

The panel's remit was to address questions relating to the murder including police handling of the case, the role corruption played in protecting Mr Morgan's killer, and the links between private investigators, police and journalists connected to the case.