Phone hacking: Hunt worried Murdoch 'was not told'
Phone hacking: Cameron says inquiry to be widened
(about 2 hours later)
Jeremy Hunt has said News Corporation still has questions to answer about why Rupert Murdoch and other executives did not know about the extent of phone hacking at the News of the World.
David Cameron says the inquiry into the phone hacking scandal will be widened to examine the conduct of individuals in the police, media and politics.
The culture secretary told the BBC he was "shocked" that "people at the top" did not know about wrongdoing.
The prime minister told MPs he had accepted "significant amendments" to the terms of reference of probe to be conducted by Lord Leveson.
Mr Murdoch said he had been "betrayed" by some staff at News International.
As well as newspapers, the inquiry will also examine the role played by broadcasters and social media.
He has sent an e-mail to all employees, saying that those responsible must "be held accountable under the law".
Mr Cameron is making an emergency statement to MPs on the crisis.
Prime Minister David Cameron will make a statement to MPs later about the hacking scandal.
In it, Mr Cameron detailed the steps the government had taken to deal with the crisis of confidence in the police and media following allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World.
While giving further details about the judicial inquiry into alleged police corruption and the future of press regulation, he is likely to face more questions about his decision to hire ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson as his PR chief and claims that he ignored repeated warnings about the move.
Mr Cameron cut short a trip to Africa to take part in an emergency debate on confidence in the media and the police, shaken by alleged malpractice at the News of the World and the resignations of two senior Met Police officers.
'Worrying'
Labour says he still has questions to answer about his decision to employ former NoW editor Andy Coulson and that No 10 ignored warnings on this.
In his evidence to the Commons culture committee on Tuesday, Mr Murdoch said he only learnt that phone hacking was more widespread at the paper than originally claimed at the start of the year - when the company passed new information over to the police.
Downing Street released emails on Tuesday showing that Mr Cameron's chief of staff Ed Llewellyn had prevented senior police officers briefing the Tory leader on the phone-hacking investigation.
He said he felt "betrayed" by certain executives within News International but did not pinpoint those he felt were responsible so as not to prejudice the police investigation.
Mr Coulson's former deputy at the News of the World, Neil Wallis, also gave "informal" advice to the Conservative Party ahead of the election, the party has confirmed.
Mr Hunt, who has responsibility for media regulation, said he was "worried" by what had been said by Mr Murdoch and his son James - chairman of News International.
Both Mr Wallis and Mr Coulson have since been arrested and questioned by detectives on the new phone-hacking inquiry launched earlier this year.
"The question that News International have to answer is why malpractice happened throughout a very important part of their organisation without people like Rupert Murdoch knowing.
In other developments in the phone hacking saga:
"What shocked me listening yesterday was the fact that so much wrongdoing seemed to happen without the knowledge of the people at the top.
Speaker John Bercow launches an independent investigation into the incident at Rupert Murdoch's committee hearing on Tuesday, saying it was "wholly unacceptable"
Downing Street and Buckingham Palace strongly deny claims by Labour MP Chris Bryant that royal officials raised concerns about Mr Coulson's appointment
The law firm hired by News International in 2007 to review allegations of phone hacking says it is being prevented from responding to "inaccurate" comments made by James Murdoch. Mr Murdoch said a letter written by the law firm made executives at News International believe that hacking was a "matter of the past". Harbottle and Lewis says it is not being allowed to breach client confidentiality
"And they did say that apology is not enough - they have to demonstrate through what they do, not what they say, that they are putting it right.
The Commons is sitting for an extra day after the prime minister delayed MPs' summer recess so he could address the issue.
"But it does seem like a huge amount was going wrong in that organisation and no-one felt it necessary to tell the person at the top and I think that is something that will have worried a lot of people."
Mr Cameron will make a statement to Parliament at 11.30am about the terms of reference for the judicial inquiry into phone hacking, police corruption and the future of press regulation, after which he will answer MPs' questions.
'Judgement call'
'Coulson mistake'
Mr Hunt also defended the prime minister's handling of the crisis after Mr Cameron was forced to cut short a trip to Africa and return to take part in a Commons debate on Wednesday sought by Labour.
This will be followed by a general debate on public confidence in the media and police which could last up to six hours.
"What we have seen is that he has recalled Parliament, he has got an independent police inquiry, he has got an independent judge-led inquiry, he has published all the meetings that they have with media owners and said in the future ministers will publish all the meetings that they have with media proprietors.
Labour, which pressed strongly for the debate, say Mr Cameron must answer questions about the role of Ed Llewellyn, who they claim was twice given important information relating to phone hacking and "refused to pass it on" to the prime minister.
"So he has done more in a couple of weeks than I think any other prime minister has done in a couple of decades and I think that is the key judgement call that the people of Britain will be looking for him to make."
But Labour say Mr Cameron must answer questions about the role of his chief of staff, Ed Llewellyn, who they say was twice given important information relating to phone hacking and "refused to pass it on" to the prime minister.
"He (David Cameron) knows he took a risk in employing Andy Coulson and that has not paid off - it was a mistake to have done so," said Labour MP Chris Bryant.
"He (David Cameron) knows he took a risk in employing Andy Coulson and that has not paid off - it was a mistake to have done so," said Labour MP Chris Bryant.
"But on top of that we have got this impression of lots of people trying to tell the prime minister not to go ahead with this but nobody in Downing Street ever letting the prime minister hear bad news."
"But on top of that we have got this impression of lots of people trying to tell the prime minister not to go ahead with this but nobody in Downing Street ever letting the prime minister hear bad news."
The BBC's Political Editor Nick Robinson said cabinet secretary Gus O'Donnell had made it clear that it would have been totally inappropriate for the prime minister to get any private briefing from the police about an inquiry.
Mr Cameron has said he "sought and received assurances" from Mr Coulson over phone hacking before appointing him as his press chief in 2007 - a position he resigned from in January.
But he said the real test was whether Mr Cameron could convince MPs and the public that he had done all that needed to be done.
BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said cabinet secretary Gus O'Donnell had made it clear that it would have been totally inappropriate for the prime minister to get any private briefing from the police about an ongoing inquiry.
But he said the real test for Mr Cameron on Wednesday was whether he could convince MPs and the public that he had done all that needed to be done to address public concerns.
Ahead of the debate, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said News Corporation still had questions to answer about why Rupert Murdoch and other executives did not know about the extent of phone hacking at the News of the World.
Murdoch e-mail
The culture secretary told the BBC he was "shocked" that "people at the top" did not know about the apparent wrongdoing.
In his evidence to the Commons media committee on Tuesday, Mr Murdoch said he only learnt that phone hacking was more widespread at the paper than originally claimed at the start of the year - when the company passed new information over to the police.
He said he felt "betrayed" by certain executives within News International but did not pinpoint those he felt were responsible so as not to prejudice the police investigation.
On Wednesday, the News Corporation boss sent an e-mail to all employees, saying that those responsible must "be held accountable under the law".
