Police probe Murdoch paper hacking claims

London police chief Paul Stephenson said a senior officer will examine allegations in the Guardian that News of the World reporters worked with private investigators to access "two or three thousand" private mobile phones.

Actors Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow, Australian model Elle Macpherson and former British deputy prime minister John Prescott were among those targeted by reporters seeking stories for the Sunday newspaper, according to the report.

The case has reignited debate over the ethics of the fiercely competitive tabloids, which thrived for years on a brash mix of sex, scandal and "showbiz exclusives" before seeing sales fall sharply in the face of Internet competition.

"There are serious questions to be answered," Prime Minister Gordon Brown told reporters in Italy, where he was attending a G8 summit.

News International, the British newspaper subsidiary of media company News Corp, has already paid 1 million pounds to settle court cases with three people -- including football executive Gordon Taylor -- whose phones were violated, the Guardian said. The company has made no comment.

The inquiry is being led by London's Assistant Commissioner John Yates, who investigated the so-called "cash for honours" scandal that overshadowed the end of Tony Blair's premiership.

The Guardian said private investigators working for the News of the World intercepted voicemail messages and gained access to personal data such as itemised phone bills and bank statements.

CONSERVATIVE CONNECTION

Ruling Labour Party politicians called for an inquiry into the role of the police, Murdoch's newspapers and the Conservative Party, which hired former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as its communications chief in May 2007.