He said: "After the biggest police investigation in history and a near eight month trial, the fact that the jury has come back after a week of deliberating with mainly not guilty verdicts puts the whole of the saga into some kind of context.
“No-one condones any journalist convicted of a crime but the practices of the whole of the press have been questioned. Nearly three years ago the Press was on trial and that led to the Leveson inquiry. After a hugely expensive investigation and criminal trial the jury concluded that what was suggested to be a major conspiracy at the top of News International was not all that it seemed.
“The only good to come out of all of this is that the Press will now have a new, more powerful complaints and regulatory system - the Independent Press Standards Organisation - with powers to investigate and fine newspapers if necessary.
“I trust that the public will put all of this behind them now and appreciate that the press in this country remains the best in the world."
