My understanding is that the Culture, Media and Sport committee will meet tomorrow to discuss whether to summon up to five witnesses to Parliament to be questioned – of which three would be recalls.
The committee, chaired by John Whittingdale, will consider whether to bring back James Murdoch, Colin Myler and Tom Crone for further quizzing.
Myler, former editor of News of the World, and Crone, former legal manager, both issued a statement last week contradicting Murdoch’s evidence to the committee. They said they had told him about an email showing evidence of wider hacking by other journalists.
My understanding is that the committee will also consider whether to invite Jon Chapman to answer questions for the first time. Chapman, ex-director of legal affairs at News International, has said that there were “serious inaccuracies in statements made (by others) to the Culture, Media and Sport select committee”. The MPs also have questions for law firm Harbottle & Lewis.
The committee is meeting on Friday ostensibly for a press conference publicising its latest report, into British sport. But the more pressing issue of Hackanory- and recent appearances by witnesses – will also be discussed.
It is expected that the committee will then send letters to some or all of the five, raising its specific concerns about the conflicting evidence given during recent appearances in front of them. The decision of whether to recall them for further public questions will depend on their answers, according to one person familiar with the committee’s thinking.
The committee will not call back Rebekah Brooks: “There is no point in duplicating the police inquiry,” said the person.
Any recalls will not take place before September 7, when parliamentary recess is over. The committee is meeting that first week of the next Commons’ session so the new evidence sessions could take place that week.
The committee will also discuss which documents to release and is expected to publish “all documents” acquired in recent weeks, although I’m told that the papers “do not add much to the sum of human knowledge.”
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey