A REPORT into the murder of a private detective will not be edited before publication, a government minister has said. 

But Home Office minister Victoria Atkins failed to say when the report would be published, insisting it must be received by the department before Home Secretary Priti Patel can present it to parliament. 

She said the “only caveat” to publishing in full the report, into the 1987 murder of Daniel Morgan, was any issue around national security. 

Mr Morgan, who was from Cwmbran, was killed with an axe in the car park of a London pub and his family believe he may have uncovered corruption in the Met Police. 

Isobel Hulsmann, Mr Morgan's mother, had spent her life campaigning to uncover the truth about her son's murder, and often travelled from her home in Hay-on-Wye, to lay flowers at her son's grave in London. She died without seeing justice delivered for her son, passing away in November 2017, aged 89, after a six-month battle with cancer. 

Ms Hulsmann and her daughter Jane Royds, who lives in Glasbury, placed a memorial stone in Glasbury church yard in 2012 to mark the 25th anniversary of Mr Morgan's death. His mother wanted a memorial closer to her home in Hay.

An independent panel, established in 2013, was due to deliver its report to the Home Office for it to be published last week but didn't after the Home Office said parts of the document could be kept secret. 

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said she must be able to read the report before publication. 

Labour MP Chris Bryant used an urgent question in parliament today to ask when the report would be published. He also referred to links between the Metropolitan Police and Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper empire, News UK. 

Ms Atkins said: “The chair of the panel has informed the government that the report is now complete and that she has undertaken all of her required checks. 

“Once the panel provides the home secretary with the report my right honourable friend will make arrangements to lay the report in parliament. 

“The Home Office has asked the chair of the panel to agree a process to sharing the report with the deparartment in order to proceed with its publication. 

“After 34 years of heartache it is the sincere hope of the home secretary and indeed all of us that Mr Morgan’s family receive answers to the many questions that surround the terrible circumstances of his death through the publication of this report.” 

Mr Bryant said: “Daniel was axed to death in car park 34 years ago and thanks to corruption in the police and interference by News UK, the family have had no justice, that shames all of us.” 

The Rhondda MP also raised the cancellation of the second stage of the Leveson Inquiry that was supposed to examine the relationship between the press and the police. 

He said: “That was promised to Daniel’s family as a means of investigating that corruption but now the Home Secretary has blocked publication of the independent panel report, saying that she wants to review it – she has no power in law to do that.  

“Daniel’s brother Alastair told me, ‘this has only added to our pain’ and he urges the home secretary speedily to reconsider her position and put and end to this unnecessary situation. Will the minister agree a date with the panel, and Daniel’s family, today for publication this week?  

“Will she undertake to publish the report in full without deletion, amendment or redaction because people are worried that she’s not going to do that. It’s not difficult to see why powerful people with very close friends in News International might want to delay, or even prevent, publication so has the home secretary, or any of her advisers of officials, had any formal, or informal, discussions or correspondence on this matter with News UK, with Rebekah Brooks, or with Rupert Murdoch? Will she publish the minutes of her, and her department's, meetings with News UK over the last 12 months, if not won’t people conclude the cover up is still going on?” 

Ms Atkins said the publication hadn’t been blocked: “That is not correct. One cannot block publication of a report if one has not yet received it so the Home Office has not received the report. The Home Office is working with the chair of the panel to agree a date for publication.” 

She also said: “There has been a question raised about editing or redacting, this will not happen. The only caveat is that the Home Secretary, like any other, has responsibilities in terms of national security and the human rights acts. 

“That is the only caveat once those duties have been discharged then the report will be published” 

When the minister was asked, by Labour MP Yvette Cooper, if she could commit to publishing the report before the Whitsun break, if it is received this week, she repeated the Home Secretary can’t publish the report until it has been received by the Home Office. 

She said: “Please give us the report and then we can publish it.” 

Daniel Morgan’s brother, Alastair, has said the interference into publication of the independent report has only increased public awareness of the case. 

Alistair Morgan said the family has been angered by the home secretary’s intervention but told The National: “I don’t allow myself to dwell on it too much and apart from anything she has drawn huge public attention to this.” 

On Friday the home secretary said she felt it was important she receives and reads the report before putting it before parliament. 

Ms Patel told Channel 4 News: “Well I think it’s important I as home secretary actually receive the report before it is published. I have yet to receive this report and I think it is right that I receive the report and read it before laying it in parliament. That is standard practice when it comes to reports of this nature and that is absolutely the right process to follow.” 

Responding on Twitter, Mr Morgan said the home secretary would always have received the report a day before she had to present it in parliament. 

He wrote: “She would have received the report one day before publication, as is the convention, but she blocked publication and insisted she was entitled to redact if she saw fit. this was not part of the deal.” 

As the report was due to be published on Monday that would have meant in reality Patel would have been given a copy on Friday, which was confirmed in a statement issued by the panel. 

Last week, in parliament, commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said neither the home secretary or the Home Office have received the report following a question by Bryant. 

It’s understood the panel, which was established by then home secretary Theresa May, has yet to hand over its report due to the home secretary’s stance – which the panel says is at odds with its independence. 

Morgan said he thinks the home secretary will be forced to concede to the panel’s independence. 

He said: “Ultimately this could be a matter for the high court and I think she will probably lose.” 

He said the family was informed of the home secretary’s intentions earlier this week, by the panel. 

“We were irritated, angered, frustrated. All the normal emotions you would expect. We were psyched up to see the report and then Madam Patel stuck her oar in at the very last minute. I don’t think they care about us.”