Much though most readers probably want it to, the phone hacking saga just won’t do
the decent thing and die. Today brings fresh revelations. Colin Myler and Tom Crone, respectively former editor and head of legal affairs at the News of the World, have said that they sent an email
to James Murdoch that supposedly undermines Murdoch’s testimony to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
The Guardian reports that the email, “known as ‘for Neville’, because of its link to the paper’s former chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck, is thought to have been critical in News International’s decision to pay out around £700,000 to Taylor in an out-of-court settlement after he threatened to sue the paper.”
Myler and Crone said in a statement:
“Just by way of clarification relating to Tuesday’s Culture, Media 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.”
After the CMS Committee demanded answers from Murdoch, David Cameron was first out of the blocks to say that Murdoch had questions to answer, a further indication that he is recovering from his poor start. James Murdoch is standing by his testimony. Indeed, it seems that Myler and Crone gave Murdoch until 6pm yesterday to retract; but News International refused, inviting confrontation and exposure. It’s likely that more acrimony and contention will emerge as News International begins to clear its stable: all manner of horrors that are nestling in the hay will be disturbed.
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