View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
February 4, 2014

Sally Bercow accuses The Sun of ‘shoddy journalism’ over front page snog picture

By Darren Boyle

Sally Bercow has blasted The Sun after the newspaper published pictures of her kissing a man under the headline “Must Tongue Sally”.

The 44-year-old wife of House of Commons speaker John Bercow took to Twitter in a bid to defend her reputation.

The former Celebrity Big Brother contestant was photographed wearing a brunette wig while involved in a "passionate clinch" with a man apparently inside a nightclub.

Bercow accused The Sun of taking the photographs “completely out of context” and accused the newspaper of “shoddy journalism” by failing to contact her before publication.

Content from our partners
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it
Impress: Regulation, arbitration and complaints resolution

The newspaper insists it made several attempts to contact Bercow through her husband’s Westminster office.

According to The Sun, the incident happened outside the Number Five Cavendish Square nightclub in central London on Saturday night.

The newspaper said there was no indication Bercow left the club with the mystery man.

In 2011, Bercow was ordered to pay £15,000 to Lord McAlpine over her infamous "innocent face" tweet.

She posted the defamatory tweet two days after a Newsnight report last November which alleged a senior Tory politician was involved in child abuse.

Bercow settled the libel action brought by Lord McAlpine after the High Court found a tweet posted by her was highly defamatory.

Her posting appeared after the Newsnight report wrongly implicated the former Conservative Party treasurer in allegations of sex abuse at Bryn Estyn children's home in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mrs Bercow denied that the tweet – ''Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *Innocent face*'' – was defamatory, but Lord McAlpine said it pointed ''the finger of blame''.

Mr Justice Tugendhat agreed and said it meant McAlpine was a paedophile who was guilty of sexually abusing boys living in care.

Topics in this article : , , ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network