Rupert Murdoch: I’ll challenge ‘total lies’ before MPs

In an interview with his Wall Street Journal title, Rupert Murdoch has vowed News Corp will set up an independent committee to investigate improper conduct, to be headed up by someone from outside the company.

Mr Murdoch said he would challenge the claims made about his media empire in the phone-hacking scandal when he appears before MPs next week.

He said he wanted to address “some of the things that have been said in Parliament, some of which are total lies”.

“We think it’s important to absolutely establish our integrity in the eyes of the public… I felt that it’s best just to be as transparent as possible,” Murdoch continued.

The 80-year-old insisted that News Corp had handled the crisis engulfing the organisation “extremely well in every way possible” making just “minor mistakes”.

He also hit back at Gordon Brown over claims that the News International papers had illegally obtained information about him and his family.

He said the former prime minister “got it entirely wrong” adding that “the Browns were always friends of ours” until The Sun tabloid withdrew its support for Labour before the last election.

U-turn on committee appearance

It comes after an extraordinary reversal of tactics in which Rupert Murdoch and his son James have said that they will give evidence before a committee of MPs next Tuesday, despite sending letters to the chair of the same committee only this morning declining to attend.

Their change of heart followed a decision by the Commons Culture Select Committee to issue formal summons demanding their presence, after they said they would not be available to attend a session next week.

News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks has agreed to give evidence to MPs over the phone-hacking scandal on Tuesday.

In his letter James Murdoch said he would be free to speak to MPs, but not until August.

In response John Whittingdale, chair of the committee, told reporters “there is a huge public interest here”.

He said: “We have been told by James Murdoch that the committee was misled by previous statements made to it and, given the scale of public anger, the least that should happen is that Rupert and James Murdoch should appear before it.”

Given the scale of public anger, the least that should happen is that Rupert and James Murdoch should appear. John Whittingdale MP

In his letter to Mr Whittingdale, James Murdoch wrote: “I would be pleased to give evidence to your committee on either the 10 or 11 August. Naturally, if neither of these proves suitable I would be willing to consider any alternative dates you suggest.”

In a separate letter, his father said: “I am not available to attend the session you have planned next Tuesday. However, I am fully prepared to give evidence to the forthcoming judge-led public inquiry.”

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg urged the Murdochs to appear before MPs. The Liberal Democrat leader said there were “big questions” to answer about the fitness of Mr Murdoch’s empire to own media in Britain.

On Wednesday Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation withdrew its bid to take over the remaining part of BSkyB it does not already own.

Coulson’s NoW deputy Neil Wallis arrested

Police have arrested another former News of the World executive in connection with phone-hacking allegations.

He has been named as 60-year-old Neil Wallis, who became deputy editor at the newspaper in 2003 and served under Andy Coulson’s editorship. He moved into an executive editor role in 2007.

After arresting Mr Wallis at his home in west London police took him in for questioning at a local police station on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications.

A spokesman for the Met Police confirmed to Channel 4 News that the arrest was by Operation Weeting officers carrying out the investigation into alleged phone hacking by News International journalists.

The spokesman said that, at this stage, it is not a matter for Operation Elveden which is looking at claims Scotland Yard officers illegally received large sums of money from NoW in exchange for information.

Mr Wallis is said to have been the “hard man” to Andy Coulson’s “good cop” during his time at NoW.

After leaving News International he took the well-trodden route from Fleet Street to public relations, moving to media consultancy the Outside Organisation. The company, which offers “crisis managment” services, describes him as a veteran of the media “who needs little introduction”.

Its website previously said what Mr Wallis “doesn’t know about journalism isn’t worth knowing”.

Mr Wallis was also a member of the Editors’ Code of Practice Committee, an industry body which sets self-regulating guidelines, until 2009.

The latest arrest is the fourth in a week as the phone-hacking crisis sweeps through Fleet Street, the Metropolitan Police and Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.

On Friday 8 July, Mr Coulson was detained on suspicion of corruption along with NoW’s former royal editor Clive Goodman. A 63-year-old was arrested later that day, believed to be a private investigator. In total there have been nine arrests in relation to phone hacking.

More from Channel 4 News: Coulson and former royal reporter arrested