MP To Refer Murdoch Evidence To Police

Evidence James Murdoch gave on the phone-hacking scandal to a Commons committee is to be referred to the police, a Labour MP has said.

Tom Watson said he would be contacting Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers - who is leading the investigation - regarding the answers Mr Murdoch gave to the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on Tuesday.

Prime Minister David Cameron has added his voice to the criticism of News International's chairman, saying he "clearly" had questions to answer in Parliament.

"And clearly News International has got some big issues to deal with and a mess to clear up," he added.

Mr Murdoch had told MPs he was "not aware" of an email suggesting phone hacking was not limited to one reporter at the News Of The World (NOTW), which was published by News International.

But the NOTW's former editor and chief lawyer said they had informed Mr Murdoch about the email.

Colin Myler, who edited the paper until it closed, and legal manager Tom Crone, have released a statement saying Mr Murdoch was "mistaken".

However, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch has said he stands by his evidence.

The accusations stem from a settlement paid to Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor in 2008, reportedly to the sum of £700,000, after he brought a damages claim against the NOTW.

At the committee hearing, MP Tom Watson asked James Murdoch: "When you signed off the Taylor payment, did you see or were you made aware of the full Neville email, the transcript of the hacked voicemail messages?"

He replied: "No, I was not aware of that at the time."

In their statement, Mr Myler and Mr Crone said: "Just by way of clarification relating to Tuesday's CMS Select Committee hearing, we would like to point out that James Murdoch's recollection of what he was told when agreeing to settle the Gordon Taylor litigation was mistaken.

"In fact, we did inform him of the 'for Neville' email which had been produced to us by Gordon Taylor's lawyers."

John Whittingdale, the Conservative MP and chairman of the committee, told Sky News Mr Murdoch would be asked to clarify his evidence over the discrepancy.

Mr Whittingdale said Mr Murdoch had already agreed to write to the committee on issues he had been unable to address at the hearing.

However, the committee will not be recalled on the matter, Mr Whittingdale said.

In a further development, MP Chris Bryant, who has been at the forefront of calls for an investigation, has written to News Corporation's non-executive directors to request the suspension of Rupert and James Murdoch.

In an email, he said: "Rupert Murdoch refused to accept any responsibility for what went on at the News of the World and relied in his defence on the fact that the paper represented just one per cent of the company's business.

"However, this in no way excuses the complete failure to tackle the original criminality at the company and the lackadaisical approach to such matters would suggest that there is no proper corporate governance within the company."

Referring to James Murdoch's evidence, he said his answer either represented "really bad legal advice" or was "a plain lie".

Further phone hacking developments:

:: Australia's competition watchdog has delivered a fresh blow to Rupert Murdoch's media empire, expressing concern at a bid by his cable television operation to buy out a rival.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said the cable deal would create a "near monopoly".

:: Sky sources have revealed that a former NOTW executive - understood to be Matt Nixson, former features editor of The Sun - has been sacked by The Sun after serious allegations of wrongdoing relating to his time at the Sunday title.

:: The FBI is also reportedly planning to contact actor Jude Law after he claimed his mobile phone was hacked into while he was at JFK airport.

The allegations reportedly stem from a story published in the NOTW in 2003, which was apparently based on information that could only have been obtained from Law's voicemail.

The claims could mean News Corp face charges in the US, because Law would have been using an American mobile network.