Lord Prescott claimed last night that the extent to which the hacking scandal has led to arrests and prosecutions has only been made possible by the threatened no win, no fee libel system.

The hacking scandal has so far prompted 17 arrests - mostly of former News of the World journalists. The police are understood to have notified 1,800 potential phone-hacking targets, of whom 800 are said to be likely to be victims.

Addressing Home Office minister Lord Henley, Prescott said: "Is the minister aware that the appalling level of these arrests and prosecutions reflects badly on the British press and was made possible only by the use of no-win no-cost litigation by those who were complainants, including me.

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