TW
0

By Ray Fleming

TOMORROW James Murdoch, son of Rupert, has a date with the House of Commons' Culture, Media and Sport select committee to answer questions about the apparent discrepancy between evidence he gave to the committee in July on phone-hacking by the News of the World and statements subsequently made by former senior executives at the newspaper.

Essentially, Murdoch said that he knew only about one “rogue reporter” case of phone-hacking whereas the executives say that he knew the practice involved others at the newspaper.

Since July things have not gone well for James Murdoch. Shareholders of the parent company in the United States have expressed their lack of confidence in him and it is thought that his father's support for him as his successor may have cooled. And although it is not the main matter of his meeting in front of the select committee tomorrow it will be surprising if at least one MP does not raise the remarkably generous parting treatment given to Rebekah Brooks, who resigned as chief executive of the Murdoch operations, following police charges against her concerning the phone-hacking and bribery. It emerged a few days ago that she left News International with a 1.7m pound pay-off, the use of a chauffeur-driven limousine and an office for her personal use in London's West End. It's not only the banks!