Claire Ward claims newspaper contributed to the loss of her baby (From Watford Observer)
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Former Watford MP Claire Ward claims News of the World contributed to the loss of her baby
11:00am Sunday 9th September 2012 in News
By Ben Endley, Senior reporter
Watford’s former MP Claire Ward has claimed press intrusion into her personal life by The News of the World may have contributed to the death of her unborn baby in 2005.
Mrs Ward served as Labour MP for the town from 1997 until she was voted out in the 2010 General Election, she also served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice.
In a written submission to the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics, Mrs Ward claims she was contacted by a reporter from the now defunct Sunday tabloid in December 2004 while on holiday in Riga.
She alleges the reporter made unspecified allegations which she describes as “entirely false” and says the story was never published after her solicitors obtained an agreement from the paper.
She goes on to say: “I was pregnant at this time and this stress whilst we were away had an impact on my health.
“I was under enormous stress from this threat. Following the general election in May 2005, my baby was stillborn.
“I cannot help but think that the stress I was placed under in the early stages of my pregnancy, particularly during my stay in Riga, may have contributed to the eventual loss of my baby.”
Mrs Ward became the country’s youngest female MP in Parliament when she was elected in 1997 aged 24 and was subjected to “false and untrue reporting” by national publications running a “misogynistic agenda”.
She also recounts being threatened by another senior journalist at the News International tabloid in February2001.
The reporter, who is not identified in papers, contacted her to say the paper intended to run a story alleging she had behaved inappropriately with a Royal Marines captain nicknamed “Captain Hunk” during a trip to Kosovo.
When she denied the claims she said the journalist became aggressive and quoted him as saying "I brought Robin Cook down and I am going to bring you down”.
"He told me that if I challenged the story he would make things much worse for me. I repeated my denials and ended the phone call and went to attend a constituency engagement," she added.
After her repeated denials, Mrs Ward was contacted by then-editor Rebekah Wade (nee Brooks) who agreed to make some changes and give the article a lower profile than initially intended but Mrs Ward said she was left feeling that was the best she could hope for.
Reflecting on media ethics as a whole, the former MP said she did not object to the media’s coverage of political stories but felt confronted by an “intense and repeated interest” in her personal life.
I believe that we have to have a much clearer set of rules for the conduct of the media.
Mrs Ward concludes: “I believe that we have to have a much clearer set of rules for the conduct of the media.
“For a politician, seeking public confidence, this power to destroy is the most dangerous of any that the media have.
“During my 13 years in Parliament, News International in particular held an iron grip over our politics.
“In all the difficulties that I had, I knew that I could not rely upon my party or my colleagues to take on News International and I was in no position to do so.”
Since leaving office Mrs Ward has become a director at the International Pharmacy Federation.
Comments(25)
LSC
says...
3:39pm Sun 9 Sep 12
factfinding wrote:Everyone knows it is in Bejams.
sorry, did you just put that Riga was in Iceland?
JohnnyHornet
says...
5:52pm Sun 9 Sep 12
Reg Edit
says...
10:54pm Sun 9 Sep 12
just disappear gracefully. We have had too much of you already, no more, please.
drunkenduck
says...
12:49am Mon 10 Sep 12
What that she brought a second home within walking distance of house of parliament or somewhere in London, paid by tax payers and she was more interested what she gain from our allowances, then given a toss about Watford & local folks. Yep, entirely false... 'cough', yea right.
LSC
says...
1:17am Mon 10 Sep 12
I didn't suffer in Latvia (or Iceland). I couldn't afford it.
Toshhorn
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9:05am Mon 10 Sep 12
garston tony
says...
9:07am Mon 10 Sep 12
There were six months between the call and losing the child it seems and surely the fact (mentioned only in passing by her as if it wasnt important in what saddly happened) that she was running for re election with all the worry, stress, long hours and hard work that THAT must have entailed had far more to do with the sad event?
stuegs
says...
9:35am Mon 10 Sep 12
I wonder how much stress her self centred decisions caused her constituants. I wonder how much stress she caused others as she trod on them on her way up the ranks. I wonder how much stress her lies have caused people and her stealing from the taxpayer has cost us.
A bit of a strenuous link, not sure that one holds water.
Nick Lincoln
says...
10:10am Mon 10 Sep 12
Perhaps this was why she was one of 98 MPs to vote in favour of legislation to make MP expenses private and not for public scrutiny.
It certainly wasn't stress brought on by a long-career in the real world. After joining Young Labour she was immersed in the party machine since her teens (three years as a trainee solicitor does not count as a hard slog).
And now where's she "working"? At the IFP, which, in it's own words "..sets global pharmacy standards through professional and scientific guidelines, policy statements and declarations, as well as through its collaboration with other international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and other United Nations agencies."
Who'd of thought it? Mrs Ward is "working" for another useless bloody quango that liaises with various useless bloody quangos.
Once it's left the station it seems really, really hard to get off that good old gravy train. I sense an EU position for Mrs Ward in good time.
Honest Rog
says...
11:37am Mon 10 Sep 12
Further, notice that none of the above have a bad word to say about the Murdoch corporation. That for me speaks volumes in that UK has been dumbed down to a nation of small minded bigots by the vile Murdochs.
Taxidermist
says...
12:09pm Mon 10 Sep 12
LSC wrote:Riga (Latvian: Rīga, pronounced ( listen)) is the capital and largest city of Latvia
Of course; I am sorry she had to go through a terrible time. But you know what? Us peasants do too.
I didn't suffer in Latvia (or Iceland). I couldn't afford it.
Taxidermist
says...
12:16pm Mon 10 Sep 12
Taxidermist wrote:Of course Riga isn't pronounced (listen) it's pronounced Ree ga.
LSC wrote:Riga (Latvian: Rīga, pronounced ( listen)) is the capital and largest city of Latvia
Of course; I am sorry she had to go through a terrible time. But you know what? Us peasants do too.
I didn't suffer in Latvia (or Iceland). I couldn't afford it.
LSC
says...
12:50pm Mon 10 Sep 12
Taxidermist wrote:I am aware of that, but the WO weren't. The story has been edited, it previously said Riga was in Iceland, so I was having a little joke.
LSC wrote:Riga (Latvian: Rīga, pronounced ( listen)) is the capital and largest city of Latvia
Of course; I am sorry she had to go through a terrible time. But you know what? Us peasants do too.
I didn't suffer in Latvia (or Iceland). I couldn't afford it.
MJ1
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1:56pm Mon 10 Sep 12
Sara
says...
8:17am Tue 11 Sep 12
However misogyny is defined as the hatred of women. However hateful some of these comments may be, they are not aimed at Claire Ward because of her gender. The fact that her complaint centres on a loss of pregnancy, something which although physically sustained by the mother is just as much a loss to both parents, does not mean that the follow-up comments are sexist or misogynistic.
The loss of a pregnancy is a terrible thing for everyone who has had to endure it. For some, it happens more than once. And every parent who goes through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death deserves support. But as far as I can see, the comments here are aimed at other aspects of Claire Ward’s life that readers have taken a dislike to.
I happen to be of the belief that we’d all be a lot better off if less hate and bile were expended on others on this web site and elsewhere. But Newsquest and its readership prefer it otherwise. That’s a shame, but it’s not necessarily sexist – or worse.
Reg Edit
says...
10:05am Tue 11 Sep 12
Honest Rog wrote:Rog (I have removed the "honest" just in case)
Notice how most of the above posters say "Losing a baby's a shame" and then go on to say "but" as they queue up to give Claire a kicking. In my experience she was a good constituency MP.
Further, notice that none of the above have a bad word to say about the Murdoch corporation. That for me speaks volumes in that UK has been dumbed down to a nation of small minded bigots by the vile Murdochs.
that was not my experience of Claire. I had the misfortune to call on her to help and found her to be lofty and obnoxious and completely disinterested. I can't stand her, she seemed totally self-obsessed.
I can only think you are the exception to the rule or a Labour supporter - probably the latter. Either way, I would say you are dead wrong. She was a lousy constituency MP, out for herself and stuff anyone else. The worst sort of person to be given a position of power and we are well rid of her. Good riddance!
I don't agree with Tricky (our current MP) on many things, but having met him several times he does seem at least to be a decent human being.
The Murdoch (and other) press has a disturbing, murky side that needs reining back, but other papers like the Telegraph, through foul means, managed to bring parliament to its knees over MPs expenses whilst dodgy freeloaders like Claire tried to keep their expenses misdeeds secret.
You know what? I'd have a thousand Murdochs in positions of power before I'd have one Claire Ward back. She is a disgrace, a blot on the town of Watford's history. As I said before, good riddance to her!
Reg Edit
says...
10:17am Tue 11 Sep 12
MJ1 wrote:Hilarious, or did you purposefully mis-spell Misogyny?
It would appear that mysoginy is not confined to hacks at the NoW judging by some of the moronic comments posted in response to this article. Mind you I expect they would even be able to spell the word let alone know what it means!
We don't hate CW the woman, we hated having CW the MP, who was a loud part of the discredited Labour Party that ruined the country and left us in huge debt.
Obnoxious is a word that I can not only spell but I can also accurately apply to CW.
I don't know if she is now playing for public sympathy or compensation. She deserves neither.
Sara
says...
10:17am Tue 11 Sep 12
For all our undemocratic system of election, MPs can be democratically hired and fired.
*Actually on further though I can think of three such MPs, none of whom have served Watford. But the general principle still stands.
Reg Edit
says...
10:44am Tue 11 Sep 12
Sara wrote:No-one forces you to read the Murdoch papers for five years without respite.
I cannot think of one MP*, past or present, that I would rather lose for Rupert Murdoch and his murky press.
For all our undemocratic system of election, MPs can be democratically hired and fired.
*Actually on further though I can think of three such MPs, none of whom have served Watford. But the general principle still stands.
Sara
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11:31am Tue 11 Sep 12
Nick Lincoln
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11:50am Tue 11 Sep 12
His stable of "newspapers" lent their weight behind Labour in the 1997 election, a key factor in the party's success.
The effects of that disastrous regime truly are still being felt at all levels of society, and will be for decades to come. Far more pernicious than anything the News of The Word ever did, no matter how vile that (best selling) comic was.
Given this, it seems a little disingenuous that the bile now vented against Murdoch seems to come more from those who lean toward socialism than libertarianism. I may be wrong on this (often am!) but the bleeding hearts of Islington seem more put out by Mr Murdoch than other interested parties - although they couldn't kiss his ring enough in 1997.
Claire Ward: you play with the devil, you play by his rules, no matter how foul.
garston tony
says...
12:27pm Tue 11 Sep 12
She has made a claim that the sad loss of a unborn child is down to a member of the press. There is nothing wrong with showing empathy for her and her partners loss and yet not agreeing with her conclusions.
Thats where the 'but' comes in. As I said there was quite a time gap between the incident with the reporter and losing the child and in between she stood for re election which must surely have had a far bigger impact on her pregnancy and took place far nearer to the sad loss.
I believe that some of the press have a lot to answer for but I disagree, the information we have been presented with, with our former MP's conclusion.
Linda Geddes
says...
3:55pm Tue 11 Sep 12
garston tony wrote:Well said Tony.
Wether Ward was a good MP or not isnt relevant here. She has made a claim that the sad loss of a unborn child is down to a member of the press. There is nothing wrong with showing empathy for her and her partners loss and yet not agreeing with her conclusions. Thats where the 'but' comes in. As I said there was quite a time gap between the incident with the reporter and losing the child and in between she stood for re election which must surely have had a far bigger impact on her pregnancy and took place far nearer to the sad loss. I believe that some of the press have a lot to answer for but I disagree, the information we have been presented with, with our former MP's conclusion.
sffca
says...
9:49pm Sun 23 Sep 12
factfinding says...
1:31pm Sun 9 Sep 12