The Guardian resists Metropolitan Police demand to disclose phone hacking sources

Alan Rusbridger, the editor of The Guardian, has said that the newspaper will resist demands from the Metropolitan Police to disclose its confidential sources.

The authorities are reportedly seeking a court order under the Official Secrets Act to force the newspaper to reveal the identity of its news sources for several stories about the ongoing phone hacking scandal.

Rusbridger said in The Guardian today: "We shall resist this extraordinary demand to the utmost."

Tom Watson MP added: "It is an outrageous abuse and completely unacceptable that, having failed to investigate serious wrongdoing at the News of the World for more than a decade, the police should now be trying to move against The Guardian."

He continued: "It was The Guardian who first exposed this scandal."

Watson is a member of the culture and media select committee currently investigating the phone hacking scandal.

The Metropolitan Police will reportedly go to a judge at the Old Bailey on September 23 in its bid to discover the source of several stories, including that relating to "the interception of the telephone of Milly Dowler".

The application has been authorised by Detective-Superintendent Mark Mitchell of Scotland Yard's professional standards unit.

It is claimed by The Guardian that the action marks an "unprecedented" use of the Act.

The paper also notes that its reporters did not pay any police officers nor 'tip off' suspects about to be arrested.

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet argued that the aim to use the Official Secrets Act in this manner is a "disgraceful attempt" to get around the 2007 European court judgement regarding the protection of sources.

Earlier this month, Guardian journalist Amelia Hill was questioned by police investigating alleged leaks from the Operation Weeting investigation into hacking at the News of the World.

Previously, a 51-year-old Metropolitan Police officer was reportedly arrested for allegedly leaking information about phone hacking to The Guardian.