CNN: Morgan Must Address Voicemail Claims

Bosses at Piers Morgan's US talk show have told him to respond to a denial by Heather Mills that she played him a private voicemail.

Writing on her website, Ms Mills categorically denied ever disclosing voicemails from ex-husband Sir Paul McCartney to the former tabloid editor.

She said: "For the avoidance of doubt, I can categorically state that I have never ever played Piers Morgan a tape of any kind, never mind a voice message from my ex-husband."

American network CNN said it was "seeking a response to the Mills statement from Morgan" as the phone hacking scandal threatens to engulf the US-based British media personality.

The demand for a response comes after the network described Mr Morgan's evidence to the Leveson inquiry into media ethics on Tuesday as being "at times clipped and at times testy".

Mr Morgan had said he was unaware of any phone hacking at the Daily Mirror under his leadership and had "no reason" to believe that hacking was going on.

But he refused to discuss who played him an audio recording of the voicemail message left on Ms Mills' mobile phone by her then-husband.

Ms Mills said: "Piers Morgan is doing all he can to deter the Leveson inquiry from finishing their important job."

Lord Justice Leveson said during Mr Morgan's evidence that he would consider calling Ms Mills to address the inquiry.

Ms Mills later said on her website: "Morgan is using me as his scapegoat and I would be more than happy to answer any questions that the inquiry would like to put to me."

Earlier in the day the inquiry heard phone hacking was a "bog-standard" tool for journalists working on the Daily Mirror and Mr Morgan must have known about it.

The paper's former financial reporter James Hipwell told the inquiry into media ethics that the practice was widespread at the tabloid.

Mr Hipwell, who was jailed in 2006 for purchasing low priced stocks and then recommending them to readers, said he had been shown how to hack mobile phone voicemail messages by a showbusiness reporter - but said he never carried out the illegal practice himself.

Mr Hipwell said: "Looking at his style of editorship, I would say it was very unlikely that he didn't know what was going on because, as I have said, there wasn't very much he didn't know about."

He told the inquiry Daily Mirror reporters would often delete messages from celebrities' voicemails to stop rival Sun journalists from listening to them.

Mr Hipwell said of reporters on the showbusiness desk: "The openness and frequency of their hacking activities gave the impression that hacking was considered a bog-standard journalistic tool for gathering information."

Publisher Trinity Mirror insists that its journalists work within the criminal law and the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) code of conduct.

Mr Hipwell was given a six-month prison sentence in February 2006 for pocketing nearly £41,000 after he mentioned the stocks in the Daily Mirror's City Slickers column and then quickly sold them as values soared.

Mr Morgan also bought almost £67,000 in shares the day before they were tipped in the newspaper but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

:: The Leveson Inquiry has ended for the Christmas period and will return on January 9, 2012.