RUPERT Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks were last night desperately trying to salvage News Corp's £8 billion bid for BSkyB as Labour and the Liberal Democrats prepared to join forces to delay, if not scupper, the deal.
After flying in from America to take charge of the crisis in his media empire, the 80-year-old tycoon and News International Chief Executive Ms Brooks had dinner at a Mayfair hotel.
The pair discussed a strategy to save the controversial bid by News International’s parent company to seize control of Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster, and were joined by Mr Murdoch’s son, James, the News International Chairman.
However, further problems for Brooks loomed late last night when BBC journalist Andrew Neil reported sources saying she will be interviewed by police this week in connection with the phone-hacking scandal.
Yesterday the News of the World, closed by the scandal, published its last edition.
Earlier, it was claimed News International had found emails from four years ago that allegedly showed payments to Scotland Yard police for information and suggested phone hacking was not confined to the “rogue” royal correspondent jailed for the crime.
The emails passed to the Metropolitan Police three weeks ago also allegedly showed Andy Coulson, the Sunday tabloid’s former editor who became David Cameron’s director of communications, had authorised payments to police.
On Friday, he was arrested then bailed after nine hours at a London police station.
Labour leader Ed Miliband sought to pile the pressure on the Prime Minister. Labour said it would use an Opposition Day debate and vote in the Commons on Wednesday to try to postpone Mr Murdoch’s bid for BSkyB.
Simon Hughes, the LibDem Deputy Leader, backed the move, and LibDem Energy Secretary Chris Huhne did not rule out supporting a motion.
Wednesday’s vote will not be binding, but it will be very hard for Mr Cameron to go against it.
In Scotland, Paul McBride, one of the country’s top QCs, declined to comment on reports that Mr Coulson had hired him.
Strathclyde Police are re-examining evidence from witnesses in the Tommy Sheridan trial last year. Sheridan was jailed for perjury in a libel case against the News of the World. Police are also probing claims of phone hacking in Scotland.
In a separate development, Mr Huhne called for assurances from Mr Murdoch that hacking had not been practised at other News International titles.
Ms Brooks, editor of the News of the World at the time teenage murder victim Milly Dowler’s mobile phone was targeted, has told MPs there is no reason to believe this is the case.
Today in Downing Street the family of Milly Dowler will be among hacking victims calling for “stronger, clearer and faster action” over the scandal in talks with Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister.
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