He gave a speech at a Leveson seminar concerning press standards on 12 October 2011.

"I don't recall the exact nature of it but it was from within the showbusiness department," he told the inquiry into press standards on Monday.

The first three months of the Leveson inquiry into press standards cost £855,300, figures show.

But he told the inquiry into press standards that other newspapers also printed negative stories about the couple.

They want to be the court of principle and last resort for British press standards.

Some of its scrutiny is now overlapping the Leveson inquiry into press standards.

It now seems inevitable that, at some point, there will be an inquiry into press standards.

Whether press standards declined after this was a matter for debate.

Talk about press standards, though, was a minority sport - largely for the Guardian and the steps of the high court.

"I really do believe that in the whole furore over press standards the wrong newspaper has been closed down," said Clarkson.