Prime minister David Cameron has accused The Guardian newspaper of putting Britain’s national security at risk by deciding to use information leaked by a former National Security Agency employee.

A British government minister has called for columnist Julie Burchill to be sacked, accusing her of a “disgusting rant” against transsexuals.

The Guardian defended its coverage of the phone-hacking scandal today after admitting that News of the World operatives did not delete key voicemail messages from Milly Dowler’s mobile phone.