Daily Mail columnist Stephen Glover celebrates a High Court ruling by Mr Justice Nicklin that dismissed in full a phone-hacking and unlawful information-gathering case brought against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday. Seven claimants, including Prince Harry and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, saw all their claims rejected without caveat. Glover frames the judgment as a vindication of the titles and their journalists, and as a significant win for press freedom and the right of newspapers to report on the powerful within the law.

The column notes the case cost more than £50million across both sides, with Associated having paid over half, and costs yet to be determined by the judge. Around 40 Mail journalists gave evidence during the 11-week hearing, several praised by the judge as "honest" and "impressive". By contrast, the claimants were found to have limited direct evidence, and their key witness, former private investigator Gavin Burrows, withdrew an earlier statement. Glover highlights accusations against former editor Paul Dacre — including claims he lied to the 2012 Leveson Inquiry — all of which the judge dismissed, while warning that opponents of a free press will persist.