Cherie Blair, the wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair has initiated legal proceedings over the phone-hacking scandal according to her solicitors.
A prominent human rights lawyer herself, Mrs Blair's solicitor Graham Atkins confirmed yesterday that a claim had been instigated in relation to the unlawful interception of voicemails.
It is thought that Mrs Blair is suing News Group Newspapers, the Rupert Murdoch owned company which previously owned and operated the News of the World, which closed in disgrace last year after more than 160 years on the presses.
Mrs Blair's case is the latest in a long line of highly public legal actions to be brought in the aftermath of the phone-hacking scandal. The extent of the revelations forced the Government to convene the Leveson enquiry which is currently sitting to look at issues of media ethics and the law.
Mrs Blair left Downing Street when her husband left office in 2007.
Last year former Labour press secretary Alistair Campbell revealed that he suspected Mrs Blair's friend Carole Caplin of tipping off the newspapers about her. He was led to this conclusion as stories were being leaked to the press which were so personal that he could only expect a close friend or confidant.
"During various periods of the time that we were in Government, we were very, very concerned about how many stories about Cherie and Carole Caplin were getting out to different parts of the media," he told the Leveson enquiry.
"I had no idea how they were getting out. In relation to not just Carole, and not just Cherie, but all of us who were involved in the Government at that time, all sorts of stuff got out," he added.
However, after learning about the extent of phone hacking in the press, and understanding how easy it was for journalists to hack into and listen to voicemails Mr Campbell changed his mind.
"I did at times directly accuse Carole Caplin of tipping off newspapers about what she was up to. I've since apologised to her for that because I now realise I was completely wrong," he said.
Ms Caplin claims to have also informed last year that her phone was hacked into by a private investigator working for the News of the World in 2002.
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