A day of humble pie for Murdochs but responsibility is another question

COMEDIAN JONNIE Marbles, little known outside his own sittingroom, yesterday did Rupert Murdoch a favour when he hit him with a shaving foam pie, but it would have been better for the billionaire publisher had he acted two hours earlier.

Marbles, who launched his attack as Murdoch and his son James neared the end of their evidence to a House of Commons committee, was quickly brought to heel by security, with the aid of a “great left hook” from Murdoch snr’s wife, Wendy.

James Murdoch and others rushed to the defence of the 80-year-old, but Murdoch stayed utterly calm. It was his best moment of the afternoon – the culture, media and sports hearing will not go down as his finest hour.

Father and son came with a plan to atone for the sins of the News of the World. Rupert Murdoch would open with a detailed statement; expressing respect for MPs, a public contrition and a firm purpose of amendment.

But committee chairman John Whittingdale, a Conservative MP, ruined the game-plan, denying him permission for the statement – a decision that irked his son, who is known for having a temper.

James Murdoch, who indulges in management-speak, attempted the apologies: “These are not the standards that our company aspires to around the world”. It sounded exactly what it was: pre-prepared.

His father, never before seen by the public in this way, leant across and touched his son’s arm and said: “This is the most humble day of my life”. He knew this would become the day’s TV soundbite. However, he was exposed by Labour MP Tom Watson, who showed Murdoch to be a distant emperor who had failed to mind a far-off satellite.

Again, and again, Murdoch snr was shown not to have command of the detail. His son frequently tried to intervene, but was rebuffed by Watson, with faux-politeness: “I will come back to you, Mr Murdoch”. The younger Murdoch, whose own career could soon be decided by shareholders, bristled.

Repeatedly, the junior Murdoch was at pains to emphasise he had taken control in London in December 2007, when there was no suspicion of the cancer eating away at the newspaper as the police had completed their investigations.

Murdoch snr, denying blame for the past, insisted he was the man to sort it out, emotionally drawing on the memory of his father Keith, who exposed the horrors of the Gallipoli campaign in 1915.

The Marbles moment meant Murdoch finally did get to read his statement, expressing hope that “we will come to understand the wrongs of the past, prevent them from happening again” and restore the nation’s trust in the company, and in journalism.

Later Rebekah Brooks called foul when MPs charged that she was too close to British prime minister David Cameron during her time as chief executive at the company.

“The truth is that he is a neighbour and a friend but I deem the relationship to be wholly appropriate and at no time have I had any conversation with the prime minister that you in the room would disapprove of,” she said.

She continued the afternoon’s theme of denial, saying though she had used private investigators for “legitimate” use during her time as editor, she did not know private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who was jailed in 2007 for hacking.