LIVE BLOG: Rebekah Brooks resigns over phone hacking

• Rebekah Brooks quits News International because of the phone-hacking scandal

• No 10 reveals Andy Coulson stayed at Chequers with the PM after resigning over phone-hacking allegations

• Rupert Murdoch apologises to the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, an alleged phone-hack victim

Rebekah Brooks resigns – live blog

17.30: Rupert Murdoch gave a “full and sincere apology” to the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler today after meeting them over the News of the World’s hacking of her mobile phone, the family’s lawyer, Mark Lewis, said.

17.00: Shadow culture secretary Ivan Lewis (on Andy Coulson’s trip to Chequers after resigning over phone-hacking allegations) said: “This is yet more evidence of an extraordinary lack of judgment by David Cameron.

“He hosted Andy Coulson at Chequers after, in the Prime Minister’s own words, Mr Coulson’s second chance hadn’t worked out. David Cameron may think that this is a good day to bury bad news but he now has an increasing number of serious questions to answer.”

16.30: Rupert Murdoch is meeting the relatives of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler over claims the News of the World hacked into her mobile, sources said.

16.15: Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson stayed as a guest of the Prime Minister at Chequers in March, several weeks after his resignation as David Cameron’s communications chief, a Downing Street source said.

15.30: The text of the apology over the phone-hacking scandal that Rupert Murdoch will place in national newspaper adverts on Saturday has been released.

The media tycoon will use the adverts to apologise for the “serious wrongdoing” by the News of the World and the “hurt suffered by the individuals affected”, News International said.

13.30: Twitter spat between two of the bigger characters of the political-media nexus… Sky’s Adam Boulton (@adamboulton) tweeted that John (Lord) Prescott (@johnprescott) had crossed a picket line to be interviewed on the BBC (where journalists are on strike today).

An angry Prezza boomed back that he’d done no such thing, demanded an apology and described Boulton as “a Murdoch mouthpiece…His Master’s Voice…Little nipper” en passant. Boulton duly tweeted an apology, but it didn’t stop His Lordship firing off another tweet pointing out that he’d also refused an interview with Sky “as you were interviewing”.

13.15: Questions are now being raised over James Murdoch’s future. Has Brooks acted as a “human shield” between News Corp’s CEO and the phone-hacking crisis until now. What happens next? Add your voice in the window above.

Comment From g7uk: Analysts saying that it may be at least 18 months before the Murdochs can take over BSkyB. Are they deluded?

12.55: Baroness Wheatcroft:”In many years of working for Rupert Murdoch, I never felt under pressure to take a particular line. And I have to say [my writing] was rarely flattering to the Government my employer supported.” Baroness Wheatcroft formerly worked for The Times.

12.25: Lord Prescott speaks in the Lords regarding the FBI inquiry: “News International may soon become Murdoch Crime International.” Lord Prescott ridiculed Mrs Brooks’ claim that her “desire to remain on the bridge had made me a focal point of the debate”.

All these others are small bit players, it’s Mr Murdoch (senior), he is the spy in the middle of this net. Lord Prescott

“I was a seafarer of 10 years, I wouldn’t have liked her on the bridge if she didn’t know what was going on or where she was going and what direction, and that is why she has gone,” he told the Lords.

He added: “All these others are small bit players, it’s Mr Murdoch (senior), he is the spy in the middle of this net and if we don’t deal with him he will just come back to the same old practices.”

Full story from Channel 4 News: Rebekah Brooks 'sorry' as she quits News International

12.20: The Lords are debating phone hacking. Former Conservative Party chairman Lord Fowler has blamed Murdoch personally. He said: “He did not exercise daily editorial control. He said if he had, there wouldn’t be the degree of celebrity ‘gunge’ there was in his tabloids.”

12.10: Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy blogs: The “firewall” or “lightning conductor” function that she was serving has gone. Read more from Gurublog: As Brooks goes is Murdoch in control or not?

12.00: James Murdoch has described Rebekah Brooks as one of the oustanding editors of her generation. She was editor of the News of the World from 2000 to 2003, a period coinciding with the alleged hacking of the phone messages of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

Comment from Saltaire Sam: I can't help reflecting that at the end of all this, Rupert and James will no doubt be bruised and angry but they will still be billionaires while 200 journalists at the NoW are wondering how they are going to pay their mortgage even though they had nothing to do with the hacking. Bankers, policians and big earners seem almost bomb proof in our society but sadly not the ordinary joe.

11.55: Labour MP Diane Abbott tweets: “This defeat of Murdoch is a definitive ‘a week is a long time in politics’ moment.”

An article in today’s Daily Telegraph by John Bingham alleging that Elisabeth Murdoch, Rupert Mudoch’s daughter, launched into a blistering attack of Rebekah Brooks, whom she said had “f**** the company”. It contrasts with the effusive expression of support for Ms Brooks which the News Corporation boss gave when he arrived in the UK at the weekend.

11.30: Labour MP Tom Watson, a member of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, says the spotlight would now shift to James Murdoch. He added: “None of this pleases me, it is a deeply unpleasant scandal.”

11.22: David Cameron says Rebekah Brooks took “the right decision” in quitting. Ed Miliband says: “I think she (Mrs Brooks) should have gone straight away. That would have been the right thing to do.”

11.17: For a full background on Rebekah Brooks, read Rebekah Brooks – Murdoch’s friend in need.

None of this pleases me, it is a deeply unpleasant scandal. Tom Watson MP

11.15: Several choice quotes from former Labour deputy prime minister John Prescott, speaking on Sky News –

On Rebekah Brooks: “This is a woman who wanted to be on the bridge of the ship, but keeps saying “Christ! Nobody told me”

On News Corporation boss Rupert Murdoch: “He’s the spider in the middle of this web.”

Business Correspondent @siobhankennedy4: “Rupert murdoch’s comments to WSJ that his son acted “as fast as he could” appear hollow given tardy departure of Rebekah”

11.07: Labour MP Tom Watson, who has been among the main interrogators in the hpone-hacking scandal, tells Sky News Rebekah Brooks still has questions to answer. Meanwhile, James Murdoch, News International’s chairman, confirms that full-page ads will appear in newspapers this weekend offering an apology for what has happened.

“We will apologise to the nation (..). We will follow this up in the future with communications about the actions we have taken to address the wrongdoing that occurred,” Mr Murdoch said.

One of the outstanding editors of her generation… James Murdoch

Mr Murdoch has also hailed Rebekah Brooks as “one of the outstanding editors of her generation” who “can be proud of many accomplishments as an executive”.

10.57: Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon writes: “Too little, too late? Hard to see what Rebekah Brooks’ resignation achieves now – it’s come so late in the day. Advertisers might have slowed the stampede from the News of the World if it had come last wee – a scalp proving that the Murdochs “got it”.

10.52: Downing Street has announced Prime Minister David Cameron will shortly give a verbal response to the news of Rebekah Brooks’s resignation in a lobby briefing.

Too little, too late? Hard to see what Rebekah Brooks's resignation achieves now - it's come to late in the day, writes Gary Gibbon.

10.45: Ed Miliband tweets: “It’s right Rebekah Brooks has finally taken responsibility and resigned. Mr Murdoch still hasn’t apologised to the victims of phone hacking.” Former Labour deputy prime minister Lord Prescott said: “Just heard Rebekah Brooks has resigned. Thank God! It’s another step closer to getting more responsible press in this country.”

10.40: After last week’s closure of the News of the World, analysts are suggesting that her resignation is the next step in efforts by News Corp to draw a line under events of the last few days.

10.30: Tom Mockridge, chief excecutive at Sky Italia, has been named as Rebekah Brooks’s successor at the helm of News International. Tom Mockridge leaves Sky Italia with immediate effect to take up the role. New Zealand-born Mr Mockridge, who has been Sky Italia chief executive since its launch in 2003, started his career as a newspaper journalist.

News Corp chief executive James Murdoch said: “Tom is an outstanding executive with unrivalled experience across our journalism and television businesses.”

He added: “I believe that Tom is the best person to move the company forward to a brighter future.”

@flashboy: “I’m sure Brooks’ll find a new job soon. I mean, the Met probably need a new PR adviser since they arrested the last one.”

@dylsharpe: “Rebekah Brooks waits until the BBC goes on strike to resign. Professional newshound until the end…”

10.00: Rebekah Brooks has announced she is resigning as chief executive of News International.

Ms Brooks has been at the centre of the scandal which has engulfed News of the World in the last two weeks, since the announcement that the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler may have been hacked as far back as 2002.

Rebekah Brooks – the resignation

• Brooks, the former Sun and News of the World editor, announced her resignation in an internal email to staff at the company. She said in a statement: “As chief executive of the company, I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the people we have hurt and I want to reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place.

“I have believed that the right and responsible action has been to lead us through the heat of the crisis. However my desire to remain on the bridge has made me a focal point of the debate.”

• Tom Mockridge will replace Brooks – he leaves left Sky Italia with immediate effect to become NI chief executive.

• Rebekah Brooks is still expected to appear alongside News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch and his son James for a grilling on the scandal by MPs on the Commons Culture Committee next week.

• Born on May 27 1968, Rebekah Brooks grew up in Warrington, Cheshire, before heading off to Paris. On her return to the UK she landed a job as a secretary at Eddie Shah’s Messenger Group. She then got a job working on the News of the World’s Sunday magazine. Sent to the Sun in 1998, two years later she landed the top job at the News of the World aged just 31. In 2003 she became the first woman to edit the Sun and in 2009 was appointed chief executive of News International.