Rupert Murdoch issued summons

News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch and his son James have been sent a summons to compell them to come before a parliamentary committee to give evidence on the phone hacking scandal next week.

Chairman of the culture committee John Whittingdale announced he had asked the Deputy Serjeant at Arms, Mike Naworynsky, to visit News Corp's British headquarters today and issue Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch with a formal summons.

"Rupert Murdoch has declined to appear and James has offered August as the earliest date he can appear", Mr Whittingdale said.

"We meet on Tuesday at 2.30pm. Either they attend or we report their failure to attend to the House. Then we are in uncharted territory," he said.

"We will expect them to respond to the summons." If they don't, "that is a matter that I would report to the House of Commons as a whole" and the Commons will decide how to proceed.

"The summons, I hope, is being delivered as we speak," Mr Whittingdale told the Guardian newspaper.

The London metropolitan police are continuing to investigate allegations that reporters at the recently folded News of the World hacked into the mobile phones of politicians, celebrities, and murder and terror victims, and bribed police officers for confidential information.

The scandal forced News Corp to shut the newspaper and drop its bid for full control of British Sky Broadcasting (BSKYB).

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