Rebekah Brooks
Rebekah Brooks, former News International CEO and editor of tabloids the News of the World and the Sun, was among six people arrested Tuesday. Reuters

IBTimes will be reporting live on this page as senior figures embroiled in the News Of The World hacking scandal face questions from MP's at committee meetings today.

Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson, who resigned on Sunday over the hiring of former NOTW journalist Neil Wallis, will appear first in front the Home Affairs Committee at midday, followed by Assistant Commissioner John Yates, who resigned over the same issue.

At 14:30pm both Rupert and James Murdoch are due to appear in front of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, where it is believed James Murdoch's performance will determine his future at News International.

Finally, Rebekah Brooks, who resigned on Friday and has since been arrested, will face queries over evidence she gave back in 2003, when she faces the committee at 15:30. MP's are likely to also question the evidence of former NOTW Editor Andy Coulson, later hired by Prime Minister David Cameron.



19:21 That's the end of today's committee meetings. This live content will remain on the website for your perusal.

19:20 Brooks offers to return to the committee once the police investigation is over so that she can fully answer their questions.

19:16 Brooks makes her closing statement and adds her own "unreserved apologies".

19:15 The suggestion that Brooks told the Prime Minister to hire Andy Coulson is "not true" she says.

19:12 "I have never been horse riding with the Prime Minister," says Brooks. "I don't know where that story came from... There is a lot out there that just isn't true. Particularly around this subject of my relationship with David Cameron."

19:11 "I can't remember an occasion when a minister would ask us not to run a story," says Brooks, although she adds that she often received complaints from politicians about the stories she ran.

19:10 NOTW is the "paper of the military" says Brooks.

19:08 Brooks "regularly" went to Downing Street to visit Blair and Brown. She defines this as around six times a year. She adds that "strangely, it was under Labour ministers and not Conservatives that I was a regular visitor to Downing Street."

19:04 "There would not be a recurring enquiry if it wasn't for the information News International handed over," says Brooks.

19:03 The press and police have a "symbiotic relationship" of exchanging information, says Brooks.

18:58 Brooks says that she speaks to the Murdochs more regularly now than she used to when she was editor of NOTW, saying that she speaks to Rupert Murdoch every other day. It is unclear whether this was with reference to her current relationship with Rupert Murdoch or her previous relationship with him when she edited NOTW. Earlier, Rupert Murdoch gave evidence saying that he spoke to the editor of NOTW about once a week.

18:56 Brooks says that if Trevor Kavanagh, her political editor at The Sun, came to her with a story she "knew it to be true" without asking where it came from, and that this relationship worked on trust.

18:54 "Any newspaper is based on trust," says Brooks. "You rely on the people that work for you to behave in a proper manner and you rely on the clarity of the information given to you."

18:52 "Just accept that perhaps that nine years ago when the story ran it was a single column in the newspaper," says Brooks adding that questions would have been asked about where the story came from and that no one suggested it came from phone hacking.

18:48 The committee is currently discussing the position John Chapman, who was a corporate lawyer at News International.

18:40 The Management Standards Committee was set up to "facilitate the police" in their investigation.

18:35 Brooks defends her use of private detectives during her Sarah's Law campaign, to track down suspected Paedophiles.

18:33 Paul Farrelly MP, a former Observer journalist, questions whether there is a public interest case over some of the tactics used by NOTW, making reference to private detectives.

18:20 The "final decision" on stories would be made by the editor, says Brooks.

18:18 When Andy Coulson left NOTW he had an agreement that all matters relating to phone-hacking would be paid for by New International, says Brooks. This would apply to his legal fees. Brooks suggests that a similar situation was in place for Mr Goodman.

18:15 Brooks adds that these journalists had done nothing wrong and that News International will endeavour to find a job for "everyone".

18:12 When Brooks gave the announcement that the NOTW would close to the staff there she says they were "sad and baffled".

18:10 "If there is not constant review of conduct and ethics then they [press freedoms] are at risk," says Brooks.

18:07 Brooks is now being asked if payments to the police were widespread across other papers. Brooks says that her statement in 2003 when she said NOTW paid the police for stories requires clarification. Brooks says that she has never paid the police herself, or sanctioned such a payment. Brooks says she was referring to a wide held belief that the police had been paid for stories but that in her experience information from the police has always come for free.

18:04 Piers Morgan wrote about phone hacking in a book before the scandal became so prevalent. The committee is now suggesting that this tactic, and others, were a "culture of fleet street".

18:03 "Of course I have regrets," says Brooks, pointing first to the incident involving the Dowler family.

18:01 Steve Whittamore, one of NOTW private detectives, conducted two ex-directory look ups on the Dowler family, which Brooks claims she was not aware of until very recently.

17:57 Brooks says Mulcaire worked "on and off" for NOTW until he was arrested. She says his contract was deemed "perfectly legitimate" when he was in court.

17:54 Neil Wallis, the former NOTW journalist hired by the Met Police, was involved with informally advising Andy Coulson, the former editor of NOTW, while Coulson was working for David Cameron, before the election.

17:53 Brooks was aware that private detectives operated under her editorship.

17:51 Brooks is pushing attention toward the widespread use of private investigators on fleet street, saying that many other papers used them as well as NOTW.

17:49 Jon Watson MP is first to pursue questions after the chairman.

17:46 Brooks denies lying to the committee previously when she said that there was no evidence of phone hacking at NOTW. She says that since then new information has come to light. This is much the same answer given by the Murdochs previously.

17:45 Rebekah Brooks is accompanied by legal representation to ensure she doesn't "impede" police investigations, she says. She adds that phone hacking is "abhorrent".

17:43 Rebekah Brooks takes her seat.

17:43 Colin Myler, the outgoing editor of NOTW when it closed, rebutts suggestions that he had seen info surrounding the phone hacking scandal that has been frequently referred to during the meeting.

17:42 We are now preparing for Rebekah Brooks.

17:32 Protester that threw the pie was Jonathan Bowles (@jonniemarbles on twitter). Reactions have been mixed. Mark Bergfeld, who was a key member of the recent student protests, said: "One honest person will have to spend a night in jail (@jonniemarbles) whilst another one #murdoch will sleep in freedom. #shame." Meanwhile, former NUS President Wes Streeting said: "Not lauding the Murdoch father and son show, but Jonnie deserved a kick in the nads from Wendi."

17:31 The Chairman referred to the incident which saw a custard pit (of some sort) thrown at Rupert Murdoch as "wholly unacceptable".

17:30 "I hope that we will come to understand the wrongs of the past," says Rupert Murdoch.

17:29 "Invading people's privacy.. is wrong. Paying police for information is wrong," says Rupert Murdoch.

17:28 Rupert Murdoch "intends to work tirelessly" to warrant forgiveness.

17:27 Rupert Murdoch says that he has never been as "sickened" as when he found out what the Dowler family had gone through.

17:25 Rupert Murdoch now making his closing statement.

17:22 Rupert Murdoch has not considered resigning. He believes that he has been "let down" by people he trusted. He thinks that he is the "best person" to see things through.

17:15 The Murdochs are asked if they are doing a "global review", into phone hacking at their other news outlets. James Murdoch re-iterates the code of conduct that all employees must abide by and that "illegal behaviour has no place in this company."

17:13 James Murdoch says that they have "no evidence" of victims of 9/11 haveing their phones hacked into. He adds that they are "very serious allegations" and "appalling to think that any of our papers would do something like that". James Murdoch also says that they will endeavour to find out where the allegations have come from.

17:12 The Milly Dowler incident only came to James Murdoch's attention through the press.

17:10 We're back in the meeting.

17:09 Excellent photo of the incident here.

16:58 It seems that a young man tried to get to Rupert Murdoch and his wife stepped in to protect him. Apparently the young man threw a white plate with foam on it, say Reuters.

16:56 The meeting will be adjourned for ten minutes, said the Chairman. A young man is in handcuffs.

16:54 The committee meeting has been suspended after an incident in the meeting room. We are unclear exactly what happened but we will report asap.

16:51 Due to the allegations made and the evidence emerging it was the "right thing" to close NOTW, says James Murdoch.

16:49 Gordon Brown's wife and Rupert Murdoch's wife apparent struck up "quite a friendship" and their children played together on many occasions, says Murdoch Snr.

16:46 Rupert Murdoch says it is correct for newspapers to campaign to change the law but "never" to break it.

16:44 "Breaking the law is a very serious matter.," says James Murdoch, adding that practices such as phone-hacking have no place at News International.

16:43 "Investigative journalism does lead to a more transparent society," says Rupert Murdoch. He is then asked where to draw the line.

16:38 The denial of allegations made against NOTW in 2009 was "too strong" says James Murdoch.

16:37 "To my knowledge certain things were unknown," says James Murdoch. He says that when new information came to light the company acted upon it.

16:36 James Murdoch says the company delegates a lot of work to various managers and that they are responsible for their part of the business. He adds that there are "thresholds" where things must move "upstream". These are mainly financial and issues of conduct tend to be handled by the internal procedures in place.

16:33 "Nobody kept me in the dark. I may have been lax at not asking more but it was such a tiny part of our business," says Rupert Murdoch.

16:33 "I can't say that I was intimately involved with NOTW," says James Murdoch.

16:27 Rupert Murdoch says it is for the police enquiries when asked if it is "remotely possible" that the editors of NOTW knew about phone-hacking.

16:21 "I know that Mrs Brooks... was one of the people that brought it [phone hacking] to my attention," says James Murdoch.

16:18 "I do think it is important that I do not stray into, or am not led into, commenting on specific individuals," says James Murdoch, in relation to police investigations, notably around Glenn Mulcaire.

16:07 Rupert Murdoch says that he would like to ensure that Glen Mulcaires' legal fees are not paid by News International and that he is condemned by the company for his actions, so long as it does not infringe any aspect of his contract with NOTW.

16:01 It is being suggested that Rupert Murdoch closed NOTW to protect Rebekah Brooks. Rupert Murdoch says the "two decisions were totally unrelated."

15:56 "I believed her, I trusted her and I do trust her," says Rupert Murdoch in reference to Rebekah Brooks.

15:54 James Murdoch is now saying that he has no knowledge of Mr Goodman's case, in which he pleaded guilty yet still employed a top lawyer, which the committee says suggest News International were paying his fees, despite the fact he was pleading guilty to something which would constitute "gross misconduct".

15:51 James Murdoch professes that any payments that were made cam after seeking advice and following what was deemed to be appropriate.

15:46 The Committee are now suggesting that the difference between pay-outs to individuals over phone-hacking reflect the difference between whether the case was already in the public domain or not - in other words, that larger payments were made to begin with to keep the case out of the public eye.

15:44 Rupert Murdoch says that he speaks to The Sunday Time almost every Saturday but "seldom" spoke to the editor of NOTW, saying that this is partly due to its "small" role in the wider company. He says that he spends the most time with the Editor of the Wall Street Journal. However, he asserts that he is not "hands off".

15:42 James Murdoch says that he and his father were advised "fundamentally" to tell the truth at the committee meeting.

15:41 James Murdoch claims to have "no knowledge" of Andy Coulson's wages after he left NOTW, referring to an article in The New Statesman which accused News International of continuing to pay Mr Coulson beyond his employ at the company.

15:37 James Murdoch is once again answering the question what new evidence came to light after the out of court settlement with Mr Taylor. That is the third time he has answered that question.

15:32 James Murdoch says that new information came out in 2010 that he had not had when he made out of court settlements previously. However, this would not have prevented him from making these settlements, he says, but would have led him to pursue further actions and investigations and "apologising unreservedly".

15:31 James Murdoch seemed to be about to say that there were no plans to have a Sunday Sun to replace NOTW. Rupert Murdoch interrupted him to say that a decision had "not yet been reached".

15:29 James Murdoch is now discussing a Management and Standards committee that is "independently chaired" and has been created to hold News International to account.

15:27 "We need to think more forcefully about our journalism ethics," says James Murdoch.

15:26 Every employee of News International receives a code of conduct regarding ethical practices within the company, says James Murdoch.

15:23 The committee is now looking deeper at what methods of payment are available to employees of News International.

15:18 The out of court settlement with Mr Taylor is now being discussed.

15:17 The closure of NOTW was "far" from being a commercial decision but was because Rupert Murdoch felt "ashamed".

15:15 James Murdoch says that he has "no knowledge" of any News International company being subject to any investigation by the HMRC or the Serious Fraud Office.

15:14 James Murdoch insists that all of News International's finances are "transparent" in response to reference made to the payment for stories by NOTW.

15:13 Rupert Murdoch says he is not responsible for what happened at NOTW. He says it is the responsibility of "the people I trusted".

15:10 "We are trying to establish the facts of any new allegations as they come up, we are working with the police," says James Murdoch.

15:08 Rupert Murdoch says there were never any pre-conditions on political parties that had his support.

15:02 In April, phone hacking was admitted but, "no one took responsibility for it," says Tom Watson MP, who is pursuing the main line of questioning.

15:00 "We have given all our files," to the police says Rupert Murdoch.

14:49 Rupert Murdoch was not aware at the time of Rebekah Brooks giving evidence to parliament saying that NOTW paid police for stories.

14:47 James Murdoch says that he has seen no evidence that Rebekah Brooks had knowledge of phone-hacking taking place.

14:45 James Murdoch says it is "difficult" for him to comment on specifically who was involved with phone-hacking. News International have set up an internal investigation to try and draw out information he says. He adds that while police investigations are in progress he considers his position limited regarding commenting on those involved.

14:43 The "critical" new facts emerged at the end of 2010, according to James Murdoch.

14:40 James Murdoch is responding to an earlier statement that he made saying that was not in possession of all the facts when he last spoke to parliament which led the Chair to accuse him of misleading parliament.

14:38 James Murdoch kicks off with an apology, saying that he wants to "put things off" and ensure "these things never happen again". Rupert Murdoch adds that this is "the most humble day of my life."

14:34 Rupert and James Murdoch are now in front of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. They requested to give a verbal statement to begin but this has been declined as the Chair believes all will come out through questioning. The statement will be submitted in writing instead.

14:26 Mr Yates says upon re-visiting the information surrounding phone-hacking he found nothing that warranted opening up the investigation again.

14:25 Our internet is mis-behaving today so I apologise again for a break in our coverage.

14:10 There are "very rare" occasions when the Prime Minister will be briefed on operational matters, says Mr Yates. He adds that an offer was made of a briefing to a member of Cameron's team but that this was declined as it may be interpreted in a way that would compromise the Prime Minister.

14:07 The Director of HR told Mr Yates that Mr Wallis was not appointed improperly, Mr Yates claims.

14:05 Mr Yates "categorically" denies that he secured the job for Mr Wallis.

14:01 Mr Yates is being asked about the appointment of Mr Wallis, who was appoint by Mr Fedorcio upon his recommendation. "I sought assurances of Mr Wallis," before the contract was offered to him, claims Mr Yates, adding that he did not perform "due diligence" in the traditional sense.

14:00 "This has become a huge distraction for me in my current role," says Mr Yates, explaining why he resigned. "I'm accountable for what takes place on my watch," he adds, asserting that he feels he has done nothing wrong and that his "conscience is clear".

13:57 John Yates is about to appear in front of the committee.

13:55 Mr Fedorcio attended dinners with NOTW during the investigation but claims that he did not know about the investigation until the arrest of Glen Mulcaire.

13:52 Mr Wallis's daughter worked at the met but Mr Fedorcio claims to have only found this out yesterday.

13:46 Mr Fedorcio is being asked why he asked Mr Yates to do "due diligence" on the contract with Mr Wallis. Mr Fedorcio says he knew Mr Yates was a friend of Mr Wallis. Mr Fedorcio would "certainly not" appoint Mr Wallis knowing what he knows now.

13:45 Mr Fedorcio says he knew about the initial investigation into phone hacking and that Mr Yates conducted the review. He knew that Mr Yates was good friends with Mr Wallis yet was "satisfied" with the advice given to him by Mr Yates regarding Mr Wallis.

13:44 Mr Fedorcio says he "never" discussed the phone hacking scandal with Mr Wallis.

13:34 Mr Fedorcio says he has known Mr Wallis since 1997 through working with him while he was Deputy Editor of NOTW. However, Mr Fedorcio says he was a not a "personal friend". Mr Fedorcio appointed Mr Wallis 8 weeks after the close of the initial investigation and was aware of the allegations that had been made.

13:33 Mr Fedorcio is responsible for the appointment of Mr Wallis, who worked as an advisor to Mr Fedorcio.

13:32 Dick Fedorcio is up next. He has recently been referred to the IPCC and has not yet had time to receive legal advice, although he is not expecting to be charged so the committee see no reason why he should not be able to answer questions.

13:29 There is still some confusion as to why Sir Paul resigned. Sir Paul re-iterates that he is not leaving because of a lack of support but because of his duty as a leader.

13:26 Sir Paul says he "sincerely regrets" Mr Yates's resignation. However, he maintains that the Met Police will continue to go from strength to strength. Sir Paul says that changes need to be made ot the way media are handled by the Met, including greater "transparency".

13:20 Sir Paul denies suggestion that his announcement that another statement regarding a review of the hacking investigation back in 2009 put greater pressure on Mr Yates to conduct the review quickly, not necessarily thoroughly.

13:15 The initial investigation had to be narrow in order to allow the evidence to lead to prosecution rather than a broader investigation which may have been more illuminating as to the wider issue, argues Conservative MP Nicola Blackwood.

13:12 Mr Fedorcio is due at 13:15 but it is looking likely that Sir Paul will overrun.

13:10 It is "very regrettable" says Sir Paul, that the information we know now was not available at the time of the original investigation.

13:07 July 2009 saw a review of the hacking investigation information. Sir Paul says that this was to establish whether there was any need to take the investigation further in light of new information. Mr Yates apparently came to the view that there was no new information.

13:04 The first investigation, Sir Paul says, was run with great "integrity" but that it was set with "narrow parameters".

13:03 Mr Wallis, "never worked in my office" claims Sir Paul, despite claims that that was part of his job description by the questioning panel.

13:00 We're the judgements "blinded by friendship"? A reference to My Yates's close friendship with Mr Wallis. Sir Paul says he has "no reason" to believe so.

12:55 We're back. Internet issues solved (hopefully). Sir Paul is receiving further questions about the appointment of Mr Wallis - former deputy editor of NOTW. The Met Police had already completed an investigation into phone hacking at the time Mr Wallis was employed. Sir Paul says he had no reason to believe the investigation had not been completed satisfactorily and therefore no reason not to hire Mr Wallis. However, he is being pressed further that he must have had "suspicions."

12:50 Mr Wallis's role was a "minor, part-time role".

12:46 We're struggling with our internet connection at the moment so apologies if updates are intermittent.

12:44 Sir Paul says that the reasons revolve around the "context of policing" and "trying to make sure there was a relationship there." Between 2005 and 2010, 17 percent of his press contacts involved NOTW and 30 percent were with News International, claims Sir Paul. He adds that News International represents around 40 percent of the press market.

12:43 Questions are now being asked about the number of dining engagements Sir Paul took part in with NOTW and Mr Wallis.

12:40 Was it not "inappropriate" for any officer to receive hospitality under these circumstances. Sir Paul says that the hospitality came through a "family friend connection" and assisted his recovery, to help him get back to work "quickly". Sir Paul says he declared the hospitality he received even though he did not have to do so.

12:39 Mr Wallis, as a reminder, was the deputy editor of NOTW under Andy Coulson.

12:37 Mr Wallis had connections to a hotel that also provided free accommodation to the Sir Paul. Sir Paul says he could only have known about this if Mr Wallis had chosen to declare it. Sir Paul is being asked if it was appropriate for him to have accepted hospitality from an establishment that had association to one of his employees.

12:32 Sir Paul reportedly met Mr Wallis in 2006. A report in the same year listed cases of phone-hacking by NOTW. Sir Paul is being asked if he should have investigated Mr Wallis's association more carefully in light of this. Sir Paul continues to assert that there was "no reason" for him to hold this as a priority, "even with that report."

12:30 He says he would not tell the Mayor, Home Secretary or the Prime Minister about arrests or suspects because there is a difference between "governance and operational independence."

12:29 Sir Paul says that he would not want to "compromise" the Prime Minister by discussing the position of Mr Wallis once he had become a suspect with the Prime Minister, especially due to his "close relationship" with Mr Coulson.

12:27 "I had no responsibility," for the previous NOTW investigation. Sir Paul denies that there was a conflict of interest in hiring Mr Wallis.

12:25 Sir Paul is being questioned as to why he did not raise Mr Wallis appointment with the Prime Minister at the time of employment. Sir Paul claims that he had heard no association between Mr Wallis and phone-hacking until January 2011 and so felt there was no reason to raise the issue with Mr Cameron.

12:23 Sir Paul knew Rebekah Brooks would be arrested "maybe one or two days" before it happened.

12:22 "It was only earlier last week that I was told Wallis may be arrested," says Sir Paul.

12:21 Sir Paul describes Mr Wallis's contract as "very minor".

12:19 Sir Paul re-iterates that he had "no reason" to suspect the investigation regarding phone-hacking was not complete. He points to other examples, such as the murder of Stephen Lawrence, where he did push for more information, however he still feels he had no reason to ask for more information on phone-hacking.

12:17 "I cannot control the way the media spins things," says Sir Paul, re-iterating that he makes "no attack" on the Prime Minister.

12:15 Sir Paul is now being asked about his apparent "swipe" at the Prime Minister regarding the comparison between his employment of Mr Wallis and Mr Cameron's employment of Mr Coulson. Sir Paul says that he certainly did not mean to attack the Prime Minister and that is the product of media speculation. Sir Paul also claims that he had "no reason" to link Mr Wallis and phone-hacking upon the employment of the former NOTW journalist.

12:13 The Mayor said to Sir Paul that his resignation was "wrong". Sir Paul says the Mayor made it "very clear" that he should not resign. This is contrary to the Mayors statement that Sir Paul's resignation was the "right call".

12:12 Sir Paul says he has received the "full support" of the Mayor, the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary. Boris Johnson has been accused of forcing Sir Paul out, encouraging his resignation - accusations that Mr Johnson denies.

12:11 Sir Paul says that with many big challenges on the horizon, such as the Olympics, it was right for him to resign to allow a new Commissioner the time to gain control of these issues.

12:10 "I would never willingly allow the story to be about me" says Sir Paul in response to a question about why he has resigned.

12:08 Sir Paul Stephenson is being thanked for "always coming to Parliament first" before making statements. Sir Paul is about to give his reasons for resigning.

12:06 Sir Paul Stephenson takes his seat.

11:56 Sir Paul Stephenson is expected to appear in front of the Home Affairs Committee imminently.

UPDATE: Some interesting things about a board reshuffle at News Corp board are being said over at FT Alphaville. They also point to this article profiling the entire board. Meanwhile, Reuters report that Rupert Murdoch has the backing of his board, for now, but The Guardian suggests something different.

UPDATE: As Sir Paul Stephenson prepares to face the Home Affairs Committee at Midday, Boris Johnson has rebuked claims that he forced the Met Commissioner to resign, reports The Telegraph.

Mr Johnson faced questions over his own judgement on phone hacking, amid criticism that he effectively pushed Sir Paul, his predecessor Sir Ian Blair and the Assistant Commissioner John Yates, out the door.

Mr Johnson denied the allegations but said yesterday that their resignations were the "right call".