Brooks stands firm

More fuel for the firestorm: this time, a letter by Rebekah Brooks, answering questions put to her by the Home Affairs select committee. It truth, it doesn’t say much that wasn’t either spelt out or suggested in Brooks’ earlier statement this week. But its three main assertions are still worth noting: Brooks had “no knowledge” about the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone, she claims; likewise for “any other cases during [her] tenure”; and “the practice of phone hacking is not continuing at the News of the World.”

In the meantime, Labour are keeping up the political pressure — asking, now, for a judge-led inquiry to convene sooner, sooner, sooner, in view of concerns that evidence may disappear along with the News of the World tomorrow. And then are the calls for inquiries into News Corp’s business interests that are now resounding across the world, including in Australia. In this sort of atmosphere, it wouldn’t be surprising if Murdoch delayed