The Sun went on the attack this morning over Gordon Brown's appearance at Leveson, running a comment piece accusing the 'scheming'former prime minister of misleading the inquiry.
Brown had claimed yesterday that The Sun gained inappropriate access to information about his baby son Fraser's medical condition in order to reveal he had cystic fibrosis in 2006.
The damaging claim was first made just a week after it emerged defunct sister title the News of the World had hacked the voicemails of Milly Dowler.
Brown claimed yesterday that 'only a few people'knew his son had cystic fibrosis at the time and that The Sun's source for the story was at best a 'go-between'who obtained it from a confidential medical source.
Shortly after Brown concluded his evidence, John Wilson, the chief executive of NHS Fife, where Fraser was treated, released a statement saying it had apologised to Brown and and that it was 'highly likely'that sometime in 2006 'a member of staff in NHS Fife spoke, without authorisation, about the medical condition of Mr Brown's son, Fraser".
But Wilson also added: 'We believe, however, that there was no inappropriate access to the child's medical records.
'We are quite clear that conversations about patients are just as much a breach of confidentiality as looking into their medical records."
News International said last night: 'We welcome the fact that NHS Fife have today said that they believe there was ‘no inappropriate access' to the medical records of Gordon Brown's son.
'The Sun stands by previous statements issued on the matter."
Brown 'tipped from fantasy into crude distortion'
Brown's allegations were first published by The Guardian last July, but it was quickly forced to apologise for the front page report claiming the paper had accessed the medical records of Fraser.
The Sun insisted that it found out about Fraser's condition from a member of the public whose son also suffered from the condition.
It also produced a sworn affidavit from the source of its story, later claiming The Guardian was "deplorable" for running the story, which was part of 'an obvious attempt to discredit The Sun".
Today The Sun published a comment piece by Brown's biographer Tom Bower claiming the former chancellor 'tipped from fantasy into crude distortion'during his Leveson evidence.
Bower was scathing about Brown's claim that he was unaware of special aides briefing against former prime minister Tony Blair, saying that it 'shocked dozens of Labour MPs and journalists, who had personally witnessed his vendettas".
'Yesterday Brown confirmed his untrustworthiness,'wrote Bower. 'He cast himself as an unreliable witness and a master of disloyalty".
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