Before News International's current and former leaders face the MPs, two of Britain's former top police officers - also brought down by the phone-hacking scandal - will appear before MPs on the Commons home affairs committee.
Sir Paul Stephenson, who resigned as Metropolitan Police commissioner on Sunday over his hiring of former News of the World deputy editor Neil Wallis as a PR man, will answer questions about this and the force's handling of hacking investigations. John Yates, the ex-assistant commissioner who also quit on Monday over his links to Mr Wallis, will be also appear.
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Outside Westminster, former News of the World journalist Sean Hoare, who told BBC's Panorama phone hacking was "endemic" and encouraged by then editor Andy Coulson (something firmly denied by Mr Coulson), was found dead at his home in Watford on Monday. Police say his death is as yet unexplained but not thought to be suspicious.
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Leading QC Geoffrey Robertson tells BBC Breakfast that the appearance of the "Wapping three" before MPs amounts to "bear baiting". He adds that "none of the [Commons culture] committee members are good examiners".
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House of Commons leader Sir George Young tells BBC Breakfast that David Cameron will deal with all the relevant questions over his hiring of ex-News of the World editor as his communications chief when he addresses MPs on Wednesday. The PM is flying back early from a trade visit to Africa to deal with the crisis.
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Peter Kirkham, a former Metropiltan Police detective chief inspector, says John Yates and Sir Paul Stephenson should not face a "firestorm and feeding frenzy" from the home affairs committee. He adds: "Unlike politicians who will brazen it out, policing is far too important. It is not a game."
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Former Labour Party leader Lord Kinnock - who was famously savaged by Murdoch newspaper The Sun ahead of the 1992 general election - tells BBC Radio 4's Today there is "less feeling of politicians being daunted" by Rupert Murdoch following the revelations of recent weeks.
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Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spokesman, says Rupert Murdoch's usual strategy is not to answer questions. News International should have dealt with its problems more openly several years ago, he tells Sky News.
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Ex-Labour leader Lord Kinnock tells Today there is a need for a "real assessment" of press ownership in the UK.
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Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, praises the "honourable" resignations by Sir Paul Stephenson and John Yates from the Metropolitan Police. He tells BBC Radio 4's Today: "I think they made personal judgements based on the overall good of the service that I know they both love and have given their professional lives to."
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Lawyer David Corker, who advised the sons of the late Daily Mirror owner Robert Maxwell's when they appeared before a parliamentary committee in 1992, after being issued with a summons, tells the BBC that the Murdochs will be told by their legal team to say very little.
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BBC political correspondent Ben Wright says the Commons culture committee will have to "focus" when they quiz the Murdochs, as they only have up to an hour to gather evidence.
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Ex-Downing Street head of communications Alastair Campbell says the Murdochs need to employ a strategy which shows they "get" the situation. James Murdoch has the most difficult questions to answer, as he authorised out-of-court payments to hacking victims, he adds.
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Rupert Murdoch is a quietly spoken man and the committee should ensure he turns up the volume on his microphone during his appearance, Alastair Campbell tells the BBC.
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Labour leader Ed Miliband is also facing a grilling today - from ITV's Lorraine Kelly. He is on the Daybreak sofa now.
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Mr Miliband tells Lorraine Kelly he has been "very disturbed" by the phone-hacking revelations.
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People were "frightened" and "worried" by Rupert Murdoch's power before the scandal broke, says Ed Miliband. Politicians want good coverage in newspapers but that does not "justify turning a blind eye" to malpractice, he adds.
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Ed Miliband puts David Cameron on notice. He is not calling for the prime minister's resignation "at the moment", he tells Lorraine Kelly, because "I do not want to go over the top".
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Lorraine Kelly teases Mr Miliband about the unkind names he has been called ("Robotic" and "Mr Bean"). He says the issues of greatest concern to the public are whether people can get a job and the state of public services, rather than the phone-hacking saga, and the interview comes to an end.
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Commons leader Sir George Young says it is "really good that Parliamant is at the centre of debate" over phone hacking and the future of the media.
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Witnesses should give open answers to parliamentary select committees' questions, Sir George Young says. It is important for committee members to discuss their tactics before hearings so they can "hunt as a pack" rather than adopt party-political stances, he adds.
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Events of the past few days have been "very good news for Parliament", Sir George Young says. Just three years ago many people had "written off" the institution.
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BBC home affairs correspondent Matt Prodger says Sir Paul Stephenson and John Yates, who have both resigned from the Metroplitan Police, are at New Scotland Yard preparing for their appearance before MPs. Mr Yates arrived at 0600 BST.
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Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says he hopes the committee hearings will mark the beginning of a "culture of accountability" among the press and police.
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The select committee meetings are "the start of a process of change", Mr Clegg says.
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Labour MP Chris Bryant, who alleges his phone was hacked, says Rupert Murdoch should have appeared before MPs at an earlier stage.
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A post-mortem examination has been taking place this morning as police continue to investigate the death of News of the World whistleblower Sean Hoare. A Hertfordshire Police spokeswoman says: "The man's next of kin have been informed and the family are being supported by police at this sad time."
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Former Conservative Party chairman Lord Fowler, the last Parliamentarian to grill Rupert Murdoch, when his Lords committee travelled to New York in 2007, says the Commons committee hearings are just a "step" towards resolving the current issues. The judge-led inquiry set up by the government will be far more important, he tells the BBC News Channel.
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Rupert Murdoch will give a "good" performance, Lord Fowler says, adding that it would be a "great mistake" to underestimate him.
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Labour leader Ed Miliband says MPs must quiz police, the Murdochs and Rebekah Brooks in a "calm and level-headed" way.
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Former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott says John Yates has got some serious questions to answer, including those relating to why he ignored "10 bags of evidence" relating to phone hacking.
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Rupert Murdoch has arrived at News International's headquarters in Wapping, east London. Son James is already there. Plenty for them to discuss.
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Lord Prescott says Tony Blair and Gordon Brown always believed Rupert Murdoch could influence elections. Ed Miliband is "leading" efforts to change the relationship between party leaders and News International, he adds.
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Former Labour MP and Commons home affairs committee chairman Chris Mullin tells Sky News says Rupert Murdoch's appearance later will be a "seminal moment". He has previously "operated in the shadows", he adds.
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Iran has urged the UK government to look into what it called the "suspicious" death of News of the World whistleblower Sean Hoare, BBC Monitoring reports.
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Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, says police have told him it could be three months before his complaint that his phone was hacked is fully investigated. This is due to the backlog caused by the "sheer weight of evidence" which needs to be examined, a spokesman says.
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More on Nick De Bois' intervention, which has upset some Labour MPs: The Tory MP objected to the election of Labour's Cathy Jamieson to the culture committee, to replace the late David Cairns, who died in May. Mr De Bois took everyone by surprise when he shouted "no" when a motion came before the Commons just after midnight . Mrs Jamieson's nomination was agreed by an all-party group and was not expected to be controversial, writes the BBC's Robin Brant.
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The government has now moved to have the Commons reconsider Mrs Jamieson's nomination but it will not happen before the culture committee sits this afternoon. A spokesman for Mrs jamieson told the BBC they did not know why Mr de Bois had objected. He does not sit on the committee and the Labour MP has never met him and there is no history between the two, writes Robin Brant. Mr de Bois could not be contacted.
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Labour MP and home affairs committee member David Winnick says he and his colleagues will "go over" the reasons for Sir Paul Stephenson's resignation.
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Mr Winnick adds that the committee found evidence given by John Yates last week "pretty unconvincing".
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BBC deputy political editor James Landale, who is in Nigeria with David Cameron, says the prime minister's media team is calling for some "perspective" on the hacking scandal, which comes at a time of great concern over the global economy and a growing humanitarian disaster in the Horn of Africa.
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texts: It's about time that MPs looked more deeply at their relationship with news international, yes the Met have made mistakes by employing people they shouldn't, but they have admitted it and fell on their swords. Now it's time to see which politician is going to be big enough to admit their part and resign, that includes senior Labour politicians.
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texts: Why not ask your many Labour Party interviewees why they did nothing about "the rogue press" during their 13 years in government?
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BBC home affairs correspondent Sophie Hutchinson says James Murdoch looked "pretty relaxed" when he arrived at News International's HQ at Wapping, east London, earlier this morning.
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Bookmakers William Hill are offering odds of 16/1 about "under pressure" PM David Cameron being out of office by the weekend.
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London Mayor Boris Johnson, at 4/1, is favourite to replace him as permanent leader of the Conservative Party
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David Wooding, former News of the World political editor, says Rebecca Brooks is a very calm person. The questions MPs will ask are "pretty obvious", he adds.
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Mark Lewis, the solicitor for Milly Dowler's family, says his clients want to know the truth about what happened with the police and the News of the World. They need an "underlying explanation as to what happened", he tells the BBC News Channel.
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comments on Piers Morgan: Former News of the World editor Piers Morgan - who until now has kept eerily silent concerning the phone-hacking and police bribery scandal that has rocked the British body politic (gave) a full-throated defense of Fleet Street and his embattled former boss, Rupert Murdoch, on Monday's installment of Piers Morgan Tonight.
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Ex-Labour leader Lord Kinnock's call for more controls on press balance would "shackle the media", former News of the World journalist David Wooding says.
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News of the World whistleblower Sean Hoare, who was found dead on Monday, was an "incredibly talented reporter and warm-hearted person", former colleague Neil Ashton tells Sky News.
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Nick Bryant, the BBC's Sydney correspondent, says Australian politicians have also worked hard to court Rupert Murdoch, particularly ahead of elections.
He expands on the theme here.
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And here, courtesy of BBC field producer Paul Lambert, is a picture of that queue, outside Portcullis House, across the road from the Houses of Parliament, where the culture committee hearing is taking place.
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The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been asked to investigate Metropolitan Police communications chief Dick Federcio over connections with News International and his relationship with Neil Wallis, the BBC's Danny Shaw reports. Mr Federcio is appearing before the home affairs committee this afternoon.
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asks: I would really liKe to ask Murdoch what the real level of influence and power that News International has had in politics and how this fits in a democracy.
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emails: When people dismiss phone hacking as frivolous they need to reflect on how divisive and destructive secret surveillance, for any motive, always is. I have acquaintances who appeared in the Murdoch gossip columns and I always felt that all of their friends were under suspicion of having leaked stories. It definitely spoiled friendships and sewed doubts about people's integrity - mine included. Now we know that no-one was selling stories - they were being secretly and illegally stolen by journalists. Many friendships have been probably irreparably damaged.
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emails: This isn't about Tories or Labour - it's about the power of press organisations and unelected individuals that have more power than the politicians. The very fact that this is threatening to bring a government down is proof that this is beyond party politics.
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About 50 people are queuing to see the home affairs select committee's hearing, while about 40 photographers are waiting outside the Palace of Westminster.
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Several Chinese papers have been commenting on the hacking scandal, including Beijing's Global Times, which says: ''The Anglo-American media are at an absolute advantage in global opinion. They have the freedom to disclose, the authority to criticise, yet they themselves have not been monitored for a long time."
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The Global Times continues: "This has fostered professional conceit and a moral sense of superiority among media people from the UK, US as well as the Western powers. Any unsupervised power will be abused easily... The UK tabloids should not be the only ones reflecting on the News of the World scandal. The Western media should also draw lessons from this.''
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One MP on the culture committee has said the questioning of the Murdochs and Rebekah Brooks could be "forensic" and a "little bit plodding", BBC political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg says.
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Some commentators aren't convinced there will be revelations in MPs' questioning. Labour MP Austin Mitchell says in
the Times "we are in for the great anti-climax".
David Allen Green predicts Rebekah Brooks will want to avoid incriminating herself from future prosecution. More on what to expect in the
BBC's Daily View.
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A spokesman for Charlie Brooks, the husband of Rebekah Brooks, says the seizure of a laptop and documents belonging to him has been "blown out of all proportion". David Wilson said a friend of Mr Brooks was returning a bag belonging to Mr Brooks when he erroneously left it in a garage area at Chelsea Harbour on Monday.
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Conservative Party deputy chairman Michael Fallon says the government has been "in front of events" regarding phone hacking.
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e-mails: This is about bringing the media into line and making them transparent and fully accountable, first and foremost, not about gunning for the prime minister - Miliband as usual has lowered the tone of the whole debate here. Also I was mortified that at the press conference in South Africa yesterday, greedy UK journalists could not resist/refrain from asking the PM questions about the hacking scandal in front of the SA press and president. How disgusting and embarrassing, they really score so many own goals for the UK don't they, they are just saturated and obsessed with self interest and have zero national pride I'm afraid.
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Barrister Geoffrey Robertson says the culture committee will have to ask the Murdochs about the impact of breaches of privacy on the public.
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The prime minister's official spokesman rejects claims that David Cameron broke the ministerial code when he met James Murdoch days after News Corp's bid for the remaining shares in BSkyB had been passed to Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
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People queuing for the culture commitee meeting are sitting down to picnic lunches outside Westminster's Portcullis House, where the Murdochs and Rebekah Brooks are to be questioned.
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A columnist in the Baghdad daily, al-Mada, writes: ''Why can't Iraqi officials behave like London police chief Sir Paul Stephenson? The simple answer is that, unlike the London police chief, these officials have hardly any integrity or morals.''
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Less than half an hour to go until Sir Paul Stephenson's hearing. The Guardian's Jonathan Freedland tells the BBC that Britain's political class has suddenly lost its "fear" of Rupert Murdoch. He adds that he cannot see anything in his connection with Andy Coulson that causes anything more than "discomfort" for David Cameron.
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Paul Connew, former deputy editor of the News of the World, says David Cameron has not "caught up with the public mood", having been in Afghanistan when the Milly Dowler phone-hacking story broke.
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It would not take much for some Tory backbenchers to stop viewing David Cameron as an asset and begin to see him as a liability,
writes the BBC's Iain Watson.
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texts: Can't be the only person who finds the obsession with the hacking scandal a convenient distraction from the potentially cataclysmic Euro debt crisis.
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David Cameron has been telling students at the Lagos Business School, in Nigeria, that keeping an independent media is important. Regulation must also be independent of government, he argued.
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e-mails: Despite what others may think, this whole thing is not about making the media transparent and accountable. Journalists need to be able to protect their sources. It is the lack of ethics by the NI media (and others you must assume) that is worrying, but probably just a symptom of the world we live in.
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Almost time for the home affairs committee. Former Home Secretary Jack Straw says he does not agree with ex-Labour leader Lord Kinnock's suggestion that the print media should be regulated in a manner similar to broadcasters.
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Outgoing Metropolitan Police commisioner Sir Paul Stephenson has arrived for his home affairs select committee session.
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Sir Paul Stephenson is in place before the committee.
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Home affairs committee chairman Keith Vaz thanks Sir Paul for attending during "difficult times".
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Asked why he resigned, Sir Paul says he was "very, very clear" that he did not want media coverage to be about "me, the leader" rather than the work of his staff.
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Sir Paul adds that his decision to quit was "very sad" but continuing speculation meant he had to go quickly rather than take his time, particularly ahead of organising the policing for the 2012 Olympics.
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Keith Vaz asks whether London Mayor Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Theresa May gave him enough backing. Sir Paul says he had their full support.
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Many colleagues - and his wife - urged Sir Paul not to resign, he tells the home affairs committee.
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Keith Vaz has fessed up to his own connections with Champney's but raised the issue that would take the current controversy close to David Cameron's door very early on in proceedings
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Sir Paul says he agrees with the prime minister that the employment of Neil Wallis by the Met was "entirely different" to Mr Cameron's hiring of Andy Coulson as his chief of communications. He denies he was "taking a swipe" at the PM in his resignation speech by comparing the two issues.
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Sir Paul says he had no reason to doubt Neil Wallis's integrity or associate it with hacking when he hired him to do PR work.
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"I made no personal attack on the prime minister", Sir Paul says.
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Sir Paul says he never asked a question about phone hacking, as he had no reason to believe the original investigation had been unsuccessful.
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Ex-News of the World journalist Neil Wallis's PR contract with the Met was "very minor and part-time", Sir Paul says.
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No10 will be pleased that, rather than ratcheting up the pressure on David Cameron, now Sir Paul says he didn't intend to imply, in his resignation speech, the prime minister wasn't trustworthy.
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Sir Paul says he knew Rebekah Brooks was going to be arrested "a day or two before" it happened on Sunday.
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Committee chairman quizzes Sir Paul about why he did not tell the home secretary about the plan to arrest Mrs Brooks
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The first time Sir Paul read an article mentioning Neil Wallis in connection with phone hacking was in January this year, he says.
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Asked if he should have been alerted sooner about the "conflict" involving Neil Wallis, Sir Paul says this would not have been possible. Only Mr Wallis could have done so, he adds.
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Outgoing Met chief Sir Paul Stephenson is coming under sustained questioning from MPs about why he resigned - and why he appeared to criticise the prime minister in his resignation statement.
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Labour leapt on Sir Paul's comments about Andy Coulson in his resignation speech and tried to get the focus on to David Cameron's judgment rather than on the police but Sir Paul is giving them very little additional ammunition today.
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Sir Paul is asked why he did not tell the PM earlier about Neil Wallis. He says he does not recall sharing any information on suspects with the PM previously.
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Lib Dem MP Julian Huppert asks whether the morale of the Met could be improved - and how. Sir Paul says some colleagues have spoken of their "pride" that he has taken responsibility for problems and resigned.
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Sir Paul says that, when he became commissioner, there was no reason for the phone hacking case to be on his desk.
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Phone hacking was not a priority for the Met, admits Sir Paul, unlike the "night stalker" rapist case, the murder of Stephen Lawrence and other "major, major cases".
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Sir Paul says he is "completely baffled" as to why he should have known Neil Wallis was working for Champneys health spa when he accepted a free stay there.
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Mr Wallis did not declare to anyone at the Met that he was working for Champneys, Sir Paul says.
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Sir Paul says he is "very, very confident" that ex-assistant commissioner John Yates would not have known of Neil Wallis's connection with Champneys, despite describing him as a personal friend.
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Labour MP David Winnick asks if it was "inappropriate" to receive free hospitality from Champneys - owned by a family friend of Sir Paul. The ex-police chief disagrees, saying it was "damnably unlucky" that Neil Wallis was connected to the company.
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The stay at Champneys was declared in the hospitality register, despite there being no need to do so, Sir Paul says.
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Thirty minutes into this meeting and the chairman, Keith Vaz, is still insisting the committee restrict their questions to the resignation when the discussion veers off topic. Why is this?
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Asked by Conservative James Clappison why he had 18 lunches or dinners with the News of the World over a five-year period, and seven or eight with Neil Wallis, Sir Paul says the Met commissioner has to meet the media. But he adds that "we need to change the way we do it".
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Sir Paul says between 2005 and 2010, the News of the World represented 17% of his press contacts, while the paper represented 16% of press readership.
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Just like the former anti-terrorist assistant commissioner Andy Hayman before him, Sir Paul is taking the line that, faced with a terrorist threat, phone hacking just wasn't a priority
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Sir Paul says it was not his decision to make News International so dominant in the marketplace - as he defends the amount of contact he had with the newspaper group
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Tory MP James Clappison asks why Sir Paul had tried to persuade the Guardian their phone hacking coverage was exaggerated - he says he relied on assurances from Assistant Commissioner John Yates.
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This line of questioning is interesting - why did Sir Paul say he was too busy to make phone hacking a priority, yet he also told The Guardian that their stories on hacking were overblown? Sir Paul places responsibility for this firmly on John Yates's shoulders - Mr Yates has to answer questions in the next hour.
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Wasn't it odd that the former NoW editor ended up with a job with the leader of the opposition - now PM David Cameron - and his deputy ended up with a job with the Met? Chairman Keith Vaz asks.
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Sir Paul said he wanted an exchange with the Guardian and to know why they were not accepting police assurances - and told them to liaise with Mr Yates.
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Sir Paul says he doesn't think he ever met Mr Coulson before David Cameron became prime minister. Keith Vaz suggests it is inconceivable that Mr Coulson would not know that Neil Wallis had a job with the Met - Sir Paul says if they were friends, they would have talked. He stresses that Mr Wallis was "not working directly for me".
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Sir Paul says there are 45 media consultants or press officers working for the Met - Keith Vaz asks why he needed another one. Sir Paul says he regrets the "embarrassing" contract with Mr Wallis but he says the Met public affairs team needed extra support.
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Sir Paul says he was not involved in the "procurement" process by which Mr Wallis got the job. He says he only found out at the weekend that Mr Wallis's daughter got a job with the Metropolitan Police
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Lib Dem Julian Huppert says he cannot find any declaration that Sir Paul had stayed at Champneys - Sir Paul says he made sure it was in the hospitality register, which would be published "at the end of the next quarter".
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Was Neil Wallis on £1,000 a day? Sir Paul says he was told he was "the cheapest person available".
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Sir Paul denies putting pressure on the Guardian to "lay off" the phone hacking story
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Sir Paul says he does not believe the Met was "involved in a conspiracy".
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Tory MP Lorraine Fullbrook asks if Mr Wallis was consulted about Sir Paul's contact with the Guardian - Sir Paul says absolutely not and adds he had never had a conversation with Mr Wallis about phone hacking.
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The committee continues its questions about the employment of former NoW deputy editor Neil Wallis - Labour MP David Winnick asks if it doesn't seem "amazing" that after one police probe into phone hacking, the person involved at the paper involved was hired by the Met.
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e-mails: Sir Paul Stephenson defends his lunch dates with the News of the World on the basis of his percentage of "contacts" with that paper and with the rest of the press. But what is a "contact"? An email is a contact. Is an e-mail on a par with a lunch date?
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David Winnick is not convinced - Sir Paul says the original phone hacking investigation, which resulted in two convictions, had appeared successful at the time
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Sir Paul says he does not read former Met Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman's columns in the Times
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Were police judgements clouded because of friendships with journalists? Sir Paul says he has no reason to believe that.
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e-mails: Why, according to Sir Paul Stephenson, is phone hacking not a priority compared to terrorism yet the phone hacking was so serious as to Milly Dowler's phone being hacked and her voicemail interfered with, causing many, many issues to the murder case as well as much hardship and suffering for her family?
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Labour MP Steve McCabe asks what Mr Wallis was appointed to do in Sir Paul's office - Sir Paul says he did not work in his office but gave him "occasional advice on speeches" and did not work directly for him.
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e-mails: Sir Paul Stephenson is clearly an honourable man - a credit to himself and his uniform. What a great shame that some dirty press methods have resulted in him having to leave a job for which he has worked so hard. Those scum of the press responsible should be both ashamed for the methods used in getting information and for the way they have even distorted the clear words in Sir Paul's resignation. I think he should get reinstated (if he can be bothered to carry on after all this mess) once this matter is closed.
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It's going round in circles a bit as Sir Paul again says he had no reason to doubt Mr Wallis
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And the committee moves on to the first phone hacking police investigation - does he accept it was "not as thorough" as it should have been? Sir Paul says the investigation was run by a man of great integrity - Peter Clarke. Is he suggesting Andy Hayman is not a man of great integrity - Sir Paul denies this.
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The session had been due to end at 1315 - looks like it's going to overrun.
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Sir Paul is being asked why the investigation was not re-opened in 2009 - he says questions on this topic will have to be put to Mr Yates but says he had no reason to suspect the first investigation had not been successful
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Ahead of the Murdochs appearing before another committee later - there's a queue outside Portcullis House, 15 journalists have been allowed in but the rest have been turned away. 30 members of the public have also been allowed in.
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Boris Johnson's famous "codswallop" reference to the phone hacking allegations is raised - Sir Paul says he doubts that's what John Yates would have told the mayor of London
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Interesting that Sir Paul stresses that the former anti-terror chief Peter Clarke "was a man of great integrity" but declines to offer the same description of his then colleague Andy Hayman.
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Lib Dem Julian Huppert asks about News of the World journalist Neville Thurlbeck, who the Evening Standard claims "has admitted working as an official police source under the codename "George'" and, the paper alleges, was given to access to the police national computer. Would Sir Paul have been aware of this? Sir Paul says he was not.
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Tory MP Mark Reckless asks if John Yates might have felt under pressure to provide a quick response about reopening the phone hacking case - because Sir Paul himself had said he anticipated a statement perhaps later that day - Sir Paul says he doesn't think so.
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Sir Paul says with a big story, the Met would generally try to put a response out as quickly as possible.
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e-mails: Looking into phone hacking wasn't as important as fighting terrorism, but lunches with newspaper editors was?
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MP Nicola Blackwood asks if Sir Paul made any "informal remarks" to Mr Yates about his expectations when he asked him to take another look at the previous hacking inquiry - Sir Paul says he doesn't think so.
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Ten members of the Met's Department for Public Affairs - where 45 press officers work - have worked previously for News International in some capacity, Sir Paul reveals.
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e-mails: Why did the London Met, with 45 press officers on the payroll, then employ Neil Wallis, formerly at the News of the World as a 'consultant' on £1000 per day? And the opposition say we cannot avoid cutting numbers of front-line police! Paul Stephenson has also just said he plays 'no role in procurement'.
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Chairman Keith Vaz begins to wrap up - where does Sir Paul's resignation leave the Met? Sir Paul says he sincerely regrets that Mr Yates has quit - but he says the London force will recover, and the vast majority of officers are decent, hard working individuals.
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Sir Paul has tee'd up the next session with John Yates - his own session has overrun so it would be surprising if John Yates isn't grilled for even longer. When the Assistant Commissioner last came before this committee the chairman Keith Vaz said he found Mr Yates's evidence 'unconvincing.' At that time Mr Yates was adamant he wouldn't resign. A week is a long time in policing and politics.
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Sir Paul says he is going because he is a leader - and is putting the force first. "That's leadership, and that is why I'm going," he says.
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e-mails: Clearly the commissioner must keep in touch with the media - it is a very important part of his job - but why does this have to be in the form of lavish lunches, dinners and other forms of paid for hospitality. Those offering such hospitality do not pay for it without expecting something in return and, in the unlikely event that they don't, that is the perception of most reasonable people.
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e-mails: It would seem that Sir Paul is a man with "no knowledge". It is a bit worrying that someone in his position has little knowledge (or "no knowledge") of some of the people he employed and the goings on in the met. A cynic might wonder whether Sir Paul could be accused of failing to maintain control and responsibility or his organisation.
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Next up before the committee is Dick Fedorcio, the Met's Director of Public Affairs - which among other things runs the force's media operation. Why did he employ Mr Wallis, Keith Vaz asks.
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Mr Fedorcio says he wants to be "open and helpful" but he has been referred to the independent police complaints commission and has not had time to take legal advice. Mr Vaz says all the committee's witnesses have been referred to the IPCC - and it had not held back Sir Paul Stephenson.
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Mr Vaz presses his question - why Mr Wallis? Mr Fedorcio says he had need for external advice and support because his deputy was recovering from a serious illness. There was great pressure and he needed help - the commissioner advised him to get some help.
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e-mails: Now that the instances of hacking have been widely verified, surely the question that needs to be asked is; Why did the initial investigations miss so much? Was it a lack of thoroughness, or was information buried by people within the Met?
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Mr Fedorcio tells the committee he needed someone with the right experience and knowledge - and decided he needed a "retainer contract" - with access to an adviser "if or when I needed to get advice". Mr Wallis's name was put forward - but he can't remember who suggested it.
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Mr Fedorcio says he saw Mr Wallis - who he had known since 1997 as a "business colleague" - Mr Vaz suggests a better phrase should be a "professional colleague". Mr Fedorcio agrees - but he says he was not a personal friend.
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In September 2009 - Mr Wallis was given the job, eight months after John Yates completed his review of the original phone hacking investigation.
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Labour MP David Winnick suggests Mr Fedorcio should have asked Mr Wallis, as a former NoW deputy editor, what he knew about phone hacking
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Mr Fedorcio says having considered him as a consultant - he spoke to John Yates who conducted "a form of due diligence" on Mr Wallis, who gave him assurances there was nothing in his past that could embarrass the force.
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Mr Winnick asks why a man of his experience did not ask Mr Wallis himself about phone hacking. Mr Fedorcio says Mr Yates put the question - and that was "more than enough times".
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Mr Fedorcio says he cannot remember exactly what Mr Yates said, but as far as Mr Yates was concerned - there was nothing that could embarrass the force in employing Mr Wallis.
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Mark Reckless asks why there are 50 people working on PR for the Met - shouldn't they be catching criminals? Mr Fedorcio says there is enormous media interest in the police and the press office takes pressure off officers.
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Lib Dem Julian Huppert asks why the directorate of public affairs has not declared any hospitality since 2009 - Mr Fedorcio says until recently only the commissioner and deputy commissioner's hospitality was published.
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David Cameron, who is in Nigeria, describes the death of the former News of the World journalist Sean Hoare as "a tragedy".
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Did the Met go out to tender for the contract to hire Mr Wallis? Mr Fedorcio says he got three quotes and of those, Mr Wallis, was "by far the cheapest".
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Mr Wallis was employed to help with "corporate policy matters" - not "operational activity" says Mr Fedorcio. He says he "never" discussed the phone-hacking scandal with Mr Wallis.
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Mr Fedorcio says he knew Mr Yates was a personal friend of Mr Wallis - Keith Vaz questions why he allowed Mr Yates to carry out due diligence on the former NoW deputy in that case.
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After his appearance, Sir Paul Stephenson has issued the following statement: "Today's almost certainly my final professional public engagement after almost 36 years of policing."
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In the committee room Tory MP Nicola Blackwood suggests it was not appropriate for Mr Yates to do "due diligence" on his friend - Mr Fedorcio says he had no reason to doubt Mr Yates's integrity
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Mr Fedorcio says he talked to John Yates about hiring Mr Wallis specifically because of his involvement in the phone-hacking investigation. He adds he has "no reason to doubt" Mr Yates's integrity.
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Mr Fedorcio says he discovered Mr Wallis was working independently in "mid-August" - asked if it was Rebekah Brooks that recommended him, Mr Fedorcio says "certainly not". He says he does not believe he was recommended by someone at News International.
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Mr Fedorcio says he did not give preference to News International when "placing stories" in the media. He also says he only found out Mr Wallis's daughter was working at the Met yesterday.
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Mr Fedorcio says the first time he became aware of phone hacking was when he returned from leave in August 2006. The only dinner he attended with Andy Hayman and News International was in April 2006, while the hacking investigation was happening. He says he had no knowledge at the time of the investigation and says it would have been inappropriate for him to know at the time.
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John Yates is back in front of the home affairs committee - just a week after his last appearance.
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Keith Vaz starts by asking why Mr Yates resigned. He says it's because phone hacking had become a huge distraction from his main role - as head of counter terrorism.
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All fingers so far are pointing to John Yates - Dick Fedorcio said he never personally asked Neil Wallis any questions about phone hacking - he took an assurance from John Yates that Mr Wallis's contract wouldn't embarrass the Met.
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Keith Vaz starts by referring to the employment of Neil Wallis - Mr Yates had done "due diligence" and advised Mr Fedorcio Mr Wallis was fine to take on.
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It is interesting to see how what appeared to be normal behaviour now looks very different once viewed through the post-hacking prism. Mr Fedorcio says he knew nothing of the first hacking investigation until arrests were made and didn't advise senior officers on their decisions to dine with News International. Keith Vaz summed up the MPs' quizzing of the PR chief thus: "We are not any clearer than we were when we started."
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Mr Yates says it is "slightly over-egging the pudding" to suggest he had carried out "due diligence" - he had simply sought categorical assurances from Mr Wallis that he had done nothing to do with phone hacking that could embarrass the force. He says it was not "due diligence".
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Interesting choice of words from Mr Yates on his alleged nepotism: "I simply acted as a post box for an application". He is accused of securing a job at the job at the Met for Neil Wallis's daughter.
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He repeats the phrase again: "I was simply a post box". It happens all the time, he adds - pointing out that MPs employ relatives. He denies having secured a job for her - saying he sent one email on her behalf and he gave only an "equivocal interest" in whether she was employed or not.
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Asked whether he was close friends with Mr Wallis - Mr Yates says he met him two or three times per year over six years or so: "I don't go round to his house on a regular basis," he says - adding he may have done so once to pick him up for a football match. he accepts he is a friend but says they are not "bosom buddies living in each others' houses".
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Lib Dem Julian Huppert asks whether an assistant commissioner sending an email to the Met's HR department was usual - Mr Yates says the director of HR would have "aborted the process" if there was anything wrong with it.
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More from David Cameron's press conference in Nigeria. Addressing the resignations of Met commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and assistant commissioner John Yates, the PM says: "Paul Stephenson and John Yates have made their decisions. They have made honourable decisions. I thank them for the service they have given."
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Keith Vaz asks which officials were trying to "protect the prime minister" from certain information - for example the employment of Mr Wallis. Mr Yates says in 2010 there was an offer to brief Mr Cameron's chief of staff on the nuances of what a "scoping exercise" was - following a New York Times article. There was some confusion about language. The offer was rejected, he says.
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John Yates says it was down to PR chief Mr Fedorcio to carry out "due diligence" on Neil Wallis - not him. Mr Fedorcio, for his part, said it was John Yates who assured him Mr Wallis's contract wouldn't embarrass the Met.
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Rather like an edition of the recently revived game show "Mr and Mrs", Keith Vaz points out that John Yates wasn't able to listen to Mr Fedorcio's evidence earlier. Like that show, sometimes answers don't match up.
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Mr Yates stresses that Mr Wallis is still an "innocent man".
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Mr Yates's words are again quoted back at him that he made a "crap decision" not to reopen the phone hacking investigation - but he stresses that he meant that in the context of what he knows now.
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He predicts a "very small number of police officers" will be jailed for corruption over the phone hacking saga.
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John Yates repeats allegation of last week: "News International completely covered-up" phone hacking - no doubt this will be put to the Murdochs and Rebekah Brooks when they come before the culture and media committee shortly.
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Mr Yates goes through his phone call with Neil Wallis about a potential contract with the Met - he says he received "categorical assurances" that there was nothing still being investigated by the Guardian that could embarrass the Met.
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Mr Yates says he met Andy Coulson but did not discuss phone hacking with him - or Neil Wallis.
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Assistant Commissioner John Yates again stresses he did not carry out a full "review" of the original police investigation into hacking - he just tried to establish certain facts around the case.
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Commons Speaker John Bercow has refused to allow a new vote to enable Labour MP Cathy Jamieson to sit on the culture committee, which will question Rupert and James Murdoch. Her appointment to the committee was blocked by a Tory MP last night. A point of order was raised by the shadow leader of the House Hilary Benn, seeking a change to the timetable to allow a vote before the committee starts, but Mr Bercow said he was unable to do this.
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John Yates says the PM's head of staff Ed Llewellyn turned down the offer of a briefing on the "scoping" of an investigation following New York Times stories on phone hacking (that appears to be September 2010) - John Yates said he didn't speak to Andy Coulson about this - but did speak to him when he was at No10 on the unrelated topic of police reform.
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Mr Yates says, of his hacking review, it wasn't a case of "finger in the air, I don't fancy it" - it was reasonably sophisticated in terms of the points covered, he says. "I had been assured that the material had been reviewed by counsel," he adds.
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"You can criticise me with hindsight but it was a reasonably sophisticated process to go through around an article in a newspaper," says Mr Yates.
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"This wasn't a body being found, this was an article in a newspaper," he adds, referring to The Guardian article that reignited interest in phone hacking.
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Has there been a fair allocation of blame between the Met and CPS? Mr Yates says not - the Met had taken legal advice. "It is utterly, absolutely clear what advice we got - anybody who says a police investigation isn't framed by legal advice doesn't live in the real world."
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A moment of levity as Mr Vaz assures Mr Yates he will be out of there before the next witness arrives - at 5.30pm. "I'm enjoying myself so much," jokes Mr Yates
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Labour's Alun Michael says everyone expected him to look broadly at the old police investigation into hacking. Mr Yates disagrees, saying it was just a case of "looking at what's new" and deciding whether it merited a fresh investigation.
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Newspapers will, on a weekly basis run interesting articles - but police won't launch investigations on the back of all of them, Mr Yates tells the MPs.
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The moment has arrived. Rupert and James Murdoch are in place for their session with the culture committee.
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The Murdochs, both wearing dark suits, pour some water. James Murdoch asks to make an opening statement. Committee chairman John Whittingdale refuses, saying they can do so after the hearing.
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Some protesters, holding up signs, are removed from the Boothroyd Room, at the request of committee chairman John Whittingdale.
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Mr Whittingdale asks James Murdoch why he admitted previously that Parliament had been misled by News International statements. Mr Murdoch apologises, saying it is a matter of sadness to the company and to him and his father.
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Rupert Murdoch interrupts his son to say: "This is the most humble day of my life."
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James Murdoch continues, saying that he came to realise that potentially more people had been involved in hacking, following hearings in 2009.
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News International alerted the police and re-started the investigation now under way. It has admitted liability in some cases and apologised unreservedly, James Murdoch says.
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James Murdoch opens with an apology - he was denied an opening statement by the chairman but he is clearly delivering it anyway. His father adds a truncated version of his own -'the most humble day in my life.' Of course worth remembering he needed to be summonsed by MPs, and did not volunteer to give evidence on this day.
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The Murdochs address MPs on the culture committee, while Rupert's wife Wendi watches from the public gallery.
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Mr Whittingdale says that, when his committee took evidence in 2009, all the News International executives said there had been a thorough investigation and no more evidence found. Was this a lie, he asks.
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James Murdoch says that this followed the successful prosecutions of 2007 and the resignation of Andy Coulson as NoW editor. The company relied on legal opinion from outside that there was no additional illegality, he adds.
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It was not clear in 2008 and 2009 that there were any extra matters to be dealt with, James Murdoch says. He says the "critical new facts" arose in the civil trials at the end of 2010.
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It is a matter of "deep frustration" and "real regret" that the facts did not emerge earlier, James Murdoch says.
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News International's provision of information that led in part to the re-opening of police investigations into hacking show the company's approach, James Murdoch tells the committee.
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James Murdoch says he has no knowledge that Rebekah Brooks or Les hinton knew about phone hacking. Their resignations were accepted on that basis, he adds.
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Rupert Murdoch says "Yes" when asked by Labour's Tom Watson whether the company had a "zero tolerance" attitude to wrongdoing. He agrees that it was misled.
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Rupert Murdoch says the News of the World was less than 1% of his company. Tapping his desk to make his point, he says he employs people on trust to run his divisions.
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Tom Watson asks what News International did after the arrest of Glen Mulcaire and Clive Goodman. Rupert Murdoch says it employed a leading firm of lawyers to investigate it further.
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Asked why NoW chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck was not dismissed following the Max Mosley case, Rupert Murdoch replies: "I'd never heard of him."
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Electrifying exchanges between Tom Watson and Rupert Murdoch. Rupert Murdoch says he was not aware that a reporter had been found guilty of blackmail.
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Mr Murdoch leans forward to listen to Mr Watson's questions. He thinks carefully before answering. Tom Watson asks - in a very measured way - about the 2006 internal News International report on phone hacking.
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Big pauses while Rupert Murdoch considers Mr Watson's questions, before referring on matters of detail to James, who wants to step in and answer them.
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Rupert Murdoch says he was not informed of out-of-court payments to Gordon Taylor and Max Clifford.
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James Murdoch says his father became aware of the settlement to Mr Taylor after it had been made in 2009.
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The settlement to Mr Taylor was "below the approval thresholds" which would need Rupert Murdoch's approval, his son says.
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Tom Watson asks at what point he became aware criminality was "endemic" at the News of the World. Another pause. Rupert Murdoch is not happy with word "endemic" but says he was "shocked" and "appalled" by the Millie Dowler revelations.
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Rupert Murdoch was not told that the culture committee had found NI executives guilty of "collective amnesia", he says.
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Tom Watson - the man who once shouted that Michael Gove was a "miserable pipsqueak" across the Commons - is being very softly spoken in his questioning of Rupert Murdoch.
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James Murdoch says it would be "more helpful" to ask him about details of decisions. Mr Watson replies it is "revealing in itself" what Rupert Murdoch does not know.
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NI was "100% cooperative" with police investigations, Rupert Murdoch says.
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e-mails: Rupert M seems rather too frail to deal with the situation. Tom Watson is showing considerable tact and skill as he pursues the issues. Admirable.
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Despite the packed public benches in the committee room for the committee hearing - the room is silent as Rupert Murdoch slowly responds to Mr Watson's questions.
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Rupert Murdoch says NI must deal "appropriately" with those involved in wrongdoing. James Murdoch says many of the people implicated in civil litigations have left the company.
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Mr Watson asks why Rupert Murdoch "risked the jobs of 200" people at the News of the World, but not his son or Rebekah Brooks. He replies that the company was "ashamed" of what had happened.
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"I just did what I was told," says Rupert Murdoch when asked why he came in through the back door at Number 10.
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News just in - the regular press briefing for lobby journalists from the prime minister's spokesman has been cancelled.
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Rupert Murdoch says he was invited to 10 Downing Street within days of the last election to "have a cup of tea" and be thanked for his support by David Cameron.
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Rupert Murdoch also visited Gordon Brown via the back door of 10 Downing Street several times, he says.
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The FBI has found no evidence of wrongdoing in the US, Rupert Murdoch says.
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Rupert Murdoch occasionally seems to struggle to remember details he is being asked for - asked about a meeting with Tony Blair he frowns, then suggests it was arranged "by Mr Campbell".
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Rupert Murdoch seems to have livened up somewhat when asked by Labour's Jim Sheridan about hacking 9/11 victims phones but he says "no evidence" for this
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News International's competitors have aroused "hysteria" leading to News Corp's decision not to go ahead with its intended takeover of BSkyB, Rupert Murdoch says.
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James Murdoch says the stain on the company's reputation from the News oof the World scandal is a "matter of huge and sincere regret".
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The victims of voicemail interceptions have had compensation schemes set up, James Murdoch says.
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Rupert Murdoch says he is not responsible for the scandal, but some of those he trusted.
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James Murdoch says all the company's financial dealings are transparent.
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The home affairs committee finished 20 minutes ago. Much of the questioning focused on the decision to employ a former News of the World deputy editor, Neil Wallis, to provide media support to the police. Mr Yates agreed he was a friend but says "codswallop" has been written about how close they were. He also said he had stood up to be accountable and suggested News International chiefs should do the same.
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Rupert Murdoch says the News of the World was closed after a discussion by the whole News Corp board.
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Rupert Murdoch denies responsibility for what Labour MP Jim Sdheridan describes as "this fiasco".
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Asked by Tory MP Therese Coffey if the NoW closure was a commercial decision, Rupert Murdoch says: "Far from it."
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On the out-of-court payment to footballers' union boss Gordon Taylor, which some have claimed was to buy his silence on phone hacking, James Murdoch says the "underlying interception was not a disputed fact" and the company was likely to lose the case. In that case, the cost could have reached as much as £1m, he adds.
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texts: Rupert sounds stunned by what is happening - James just sounds pushy.
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texts: Playing the poor old man in court card. Pretending he cant hear taking ages to answer awkward questions. Son keep butting in etc. All an act.
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News International could make out-of-court settlements without going to News Corp, James Murdoch says.
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Rupert Murdoch reaches over and touches his son's arm as he interrupts him while talking about out-of-court payments.
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For the full board of News Corp to be consulted on payments, the sum would have to be "in millions", James Murdoch tells the MPs.
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BBC political editor Nick Robinson has
blogged from inside the Wilson Room: "It is hard to equate the man sitting a few feet away from me with the global media mogul feared by political leaders throughout my adult lifetime".
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Back to the evidencenow: Sometimes it is appropriate for journalists to use cash to make outside payments, but it is "customary" for them to record this, James Murdoch says.
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Rupert Murdoch says each newspaper has an editorial manager who has to approve expenses claims for every reporter. Reports have "no authority" to do so on their own.
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The company's rules and code of conduct are promoted to all staff, James Murdoch says.
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Grilled by Tory MP Therese Coffey on whether his paper's will now change their ways, Rupert Murdoch says the UK has a "wonderful variety of voices", with media outlets "naturally competitive".
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The press industry needs to think about its ethics, James Murdoch says.
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John Whittingdale asks if NI plans to open a new tabloid Sunday newspaper. James Murdoch says there are "no immediate plans for that", says the BBC's Iain Watson.
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Banging the table for emphasis again, Rupert Murdoch says the UK greatly benefits from having a competitive press and a transparent society.
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James Murdoch says the "critical" information on phone hacking came to light during 2010.
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James Murdoch says he would still have settled out of court as he did before, but also contacted the police and other individuals involved immediately.
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The sole Lib Dem on the committee - Adrian Sanders - asks about out-of-court settlements.
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James Murdoch says the high amounts paid out were not to buy confidentiality.
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As soon as News International had information suggesting a "wider involvement" in phone hacking in 2010, the company acted, James Murdoch says.
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Rupert Murdoch says News International was never guilty of "wilful blindness" on phone hacking.
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Asked about what coaching they have had ahead of the hearing, James Murdoch says he and his father were just advised to be as transparent as possible and that is what they have tried to do.
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Rupert Murdoch says he spoke to the News of the World's editor "very seldom", but he rings the Sunday Times almost every Saturday.
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Rupert Murdoch says he works a 10 or 12-hour day and "I cannot tell you the multitude of issues I handle". The News of the World was "small" in this context, he adds.
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Asked if he "overpaid" Gordon Taylor or Max Clifford, James Murdoch says he made a judgement on Mr Taylor based on advice.
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Initially a rather optmistic hour was set aside to quizzing the Murdochs - this seems to have some way to run, so we will have to wait a while to see Rebekah Brooks
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Rupert Murdoch says there was "apparently" a contract with Max Clifford that was cancelled by Andy Coulson.
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James Murdoch is asked why ex-Sky football pundit Andy Gray's reported payout of £20,000 was so much lower than those for Mr Clifford and Mr Taylor. He again says that losing the earlier cases would have meant "substantial" costs, if they had gone to court and damages and legal fees had been payable.
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At the start of the committee hearing the Murdochs asked to be able to read out a statement - chairman John Whittingdale said they could submit it - but not read it out loud. For those interested - here's the
statement in full
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Tory MP Philip Davies asks if Clive Goodman and Glen Mulcaire received any payments after their conviction. James Murdoch says he was "very surprised" to find the company had helped with legal fees. He does not know who made the arrangements, he adds.
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Such legal payments would have been "above" managing editor level, Rupert Murdoch says. It "could have been" Les Hinton or a chief legal officer, he adds.
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Rupert Murdoch says executive Les Hinton resigned last Friday, saying: "I was in charge of the company and I feel I must step down."
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Rebekah Brooks's resignation was accepted after the second time she offered it, as she was in a "state of extreme anguish", Rupert Murdoch says.
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Philip Davies asks if the Murdochs regret ending the News of the World to "save" Rebekah Brooks. The two decisions were "totally unrelated", Rupert Murdoch says.
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There is nothing in the leaving settlements of Rebekah Brooks or Les Hinton which would compromise their ability to help any inquiries, James Murdoch says.
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James Murdoch says the closure of the News of the World was "grave thing", but the "hurt" caused by phone hacking was worse.
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Ending the News of the World after 168 years was the "right choice", James Murdoch says, adding that News International is doing anything it can to find new employment for laid-off journalists.
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Labour MP Paul Farrelly asks if News International has been paying Glenn Mulcaire's legal fees during the course of the civil actions. James Murdoch says he does not know the details but adds that he was "shocked" to find some of the private investigator's fees had been paid.
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James Murdoch says he does not know the "precise status" of whether the company is still contributing to Mr Mulcaire's legal fees.
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Rupert Murdoch says he would "like to" stop all payments to Mr Mulcaire. Providing it is not in breach of a legal contract. He will ensure this happens, he adds.
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Some fall out from the home affairs committee hearing with John Yates. Mr Yates mentioned that the prime minister's chief of staff Ed Llewellyn had rejected the offer of a briefing on phone hacking. No 10 has now released the relevant emails. In his email to Mr Yates, Mr Llewellyn doesn't use the term "phone hacking" - rather he talks of "other matters which have caught your attention this week" but says "we will want to be entirely clear - for your sake and ours - that we have not been in contact with you about this subject." In his evidence Mr Yates suggests this is a "proper" response to his offer.
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Labour has responded to some of the earlier evidence given to the home affairs committee, Yvette Cooper says it is "astonishing" that the PM's chief of staff reportedly turned down an offer by Mr Yates to brief him on some aspects of the phone hacking case and advised Met chiefs not to brief the PM about the employment of Neil Wallis.
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Asked why proceedings by Goodman and Mulcaire for unfair dismissal were settled, James Murdoch says it is important "not to stray" into allegations about individuals, given the police investigations under way.
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The hearing was scheduled for about an hour. It's nearing the two-hour mark now.
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texts: These are speeches not questions. Why no lawyers on the committee?
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emails: The Murdochs have, so far, said nothing of substance or consequence. The enquiry, as is, could have been over in 5 minutes if they'd just read their opening statement. What a waste of time. What a shame.
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emails: The Murdochs doing very well indeed. Very patient with the ridiculous petty questions, don't these committee members understand the level these men work at in running a corporation of this size? Fancy asking a CEO and a chairman of a company that employs 56,000 people a question about petty cash. If this committee's aim was to trip up the Murdochs or descredit them then they have failed.
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Back to the hearing: Paul Farrelly says it is not known whether News International was complicit in keeping back information. Rupert Murdoch says he does not find the situation satisfactory.
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Rupert Murdoch is asked whether it was "possible" that the editor of a newspaper did not know that staff acted as "gatekeepers" for a private investigator. Rupert Murdoch says it is important to find out what was going on.
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Rupert Murdoch says that "nobody kept me in the dark", but he might not have found out about a "small part of my business". The situation has become "extremely serious", he tells the committee.
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texts: I'm watching the Murdoch 'GRILLING' by MPs......more like a gentle poaching if you ask me!
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emails: To Kerry Douglas, the objective is to not trip up the Murdochs, it is to ellicit how such appalling media practices have been allowed to go on. This is not acceptable in the UK.
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James Murdoch tells Labour's Alan Keen he understands "completely" the MP's frustration that News International's original denials over hacking were "too strong".
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Mr Keen says Rupert Murdoch's desire to protect Rebekah Brooks was "admirable", but asks if he regrets that News International has become a "family organisation". The media mogul replies that his son went through a proper recruitment process.
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Alan Keen is calling Murdoch Sr "Mr Rupert". Earlier Philip Davies was calling Murdoch Jr "James". Perhaps they should have worked this one out beforehand...
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Conservative MP Damian Collins - the second from last MP on the committee to have a go at questioning the Murdochs - asks if it is right that people in public life can expect total privacy. Rupert Murdoch's brief reply: "Nope."
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Rupert Murdoch says that when the Daily Telegraph bought stolen documents on MPs' expenses it caused a huge outcry. He adds that Singapore is the cleanest society in the world, as every minister is paid at least one million dollars a year and has no temptation to transgress. "Good luck in selling that one," Damian Collins replies.
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Damian Collins asks if Rupert Murdoch has a "cultural problem" with advisers saying what he wants to hear. The media magnate says it is up to him to "see through" people trying to please him.
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Rupert Murdoch says he is "sorry" that he no longer has a friendship with Gordon Brown - who launched a scathing attack on News International last week in the Commons.
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Mr Murdoch tells MPs how the Brown and Murdoch children used to play together and how their wives "struck up a great friendship". He thought the former PM had "great values". He hopes the relationship can be rebuilt in the future, adds Mr Murdoch.
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The sitting is suspended for 10 minutes - after some kind of disturbance.
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Rupert Murdoch appears to have been attacked by somebody in the public gallery.
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Rupert Murdoch's wife Wendi stood up and appeared to strike somebody in defence of her husband.
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A man with white substance - possibly paint - on his face has been taken away by police following the incident.
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BBC political editor Nick Robinson says Rupert Murdoch was apparently hit in the face with a plate of shaving foam by a man shouting: "Greedy."
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Nick Robinson says Rupert Murdoch's wife was "up like a shot" to defend her husband.
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James Murdoch looked shocked that security staff had failed to protect his father properly, Nick Robinson says.
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The moment when a protester attacked Rupert Murdoch with shaving foam.
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Labour MP Chris Bryant, who is attending the hearing, tells the BBC the plate of shaving foam was shoved in Rupert Murdoch's face. He says it is a "despicable" thing to do, especially to a man of more than 80 years of age.
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The session is restarted after 15 minutes. Tory MP Louise Mensch continues her questioning. She praises Mr Murdoch's "immense guts" for facing the committee.
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Police say they've arrested a man following the attack on Rupert Murdoch. According to one of the committee members Paul Farrelly, the assailant made for Rupert Murdoch with what appeared to be a paper plate with shaving foam on it, in the form of a custard pie. The committee room corridor has been sealed off by police.
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James Murdoch, returning to business, says it is customary for both sides in an out-of-court settlement to agree confidentiality.
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Louise Mensch MP asks about any reports of phone hacking in News Corp businesses outside the UK. James Murdoch says he has not heard any and reiterates that employees are asked to comply with a code of ethics.
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Mrs Mensch says the actor Jude Law is alleging his phone was hacked on US soil. She asks about the families of 9/11 victims. Rupert Murdoch replies there is no evidence that their phones were hacked.
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Mrs Mensch asks whether journalists at the News of the World felt entitled to use hacking as it was "part of the general culture of corruption" in the tabloid press. James Murdoch says it is not for him to "impugn" other titles.
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Concluding her questions, Tory MP Louise Mensch asks whether Rupert Murdoch, as "captain of the ship", has considered standing down. He says he has not.
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People working for him have "betrayed" him and he is the "best person to clear this up", Rupert Murdoch says. Mrs Mensch praises his "immense courage" in staying in the room following the "common assault" with the shaving foam.
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Rupert Murdoch gives a closing statement. He says he has "great respect" for the people of Britain.
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Mr Murdoch senior says he has made his "share of mistakes" but at no time has felt as "sickened" as he was when he found out what the Dowler family has been through.
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Rupert Murdoch says he will work tirelessly to win the forgiveness of phone-hacking victims.
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The News of the World's behaviour "went against everything I stand for and my son too", Rupert Murdoch says.
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When two men went to prison in 2007, Rupert Murdoch says, he thought the situation had been resolved.
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emails: How come I can't take a small bottle of water onto a plane, but someone can attack the head of News Corp, in Parliament, with shaving foam?
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The committee breaks for five minutes, after which Rebekah Brooks is due to appear.
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emails: Thank heavens for Louise Mensch and Tom Watson. Without their sharp, relevant, questions, this event would be entirely aimless.
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Rebekah Brooks has taken her seat - Chairman John Whittingdale begins the session
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Here is a picture - courtesy of the BBC's Alan Connor - of the alleged perpetrator of the attempted foam pie attack on Rupert Murdoch.
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Mrs Brooks - a former Sun and News of the World editor - begins by adding her apologies about what happened at the NoW, which she describes as "pretty horrific".
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She notes that her lawyer is with her so she does not "impede those criminal proceedings" - having been arrested at the weekend but she hopes to be as "open as possible".
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Mrs Brooks is asked to reject a previous statement about whetehr NoW journalists had accessed mobile phone messages. Mrs Brooks says until the Sienna Miller documents emerged in 2010, senior management had not seen evidence relating to a current employee of the company.
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Rebekah Brooks says News International acted "quickly and decisively" once it had discovered the extent of hacking and had tried to settle as many civil cases as possible.
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Quite a few people seem to have left the public benches since the Murdochs left - there are empty seats behind Mrs Brooks.
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Asked whether she had been lied to by senior employees - she says she doesn't want to "infer guilt" while criminal proceedings are under way.
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Tom Watson asks why News International legal manager Tom Crone was sacked - Mrs Brooks says he was not sacked but he was mainly a News of the World lawyer, and the paper was axed. Other titles had other lawyers and there was no job for Mr Crone when the newspaper closed.
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She said outstanding civil cases were being dealt with a standards committee which had been set up, and another company which had handled the civil cases all along.
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Hushed silence now as rebekah brooks gives evidence. MP Stephen Pound and former MP Quentin Davies in the audience but, apart from press, public excluded. Serjeant at arms has banned us from texting from the meeting.
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Tom Watson asks how extensively she worked with private investigators as editor of the Sun and NoW. Mrs Brooks says "not at all" on the Sun - she says in the late 90s private eyes were used by Fleet Street - but that was later reviewed. She adds: "The NoW employed PIs like most newspapers in Fleet Street"
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Asked how private detectives were paid - she says a managing editor allocates the budget to different departments, but will authorise payments - unless there is a big item, when an editor would get involved.
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Mrs Brooks says she has never met with private investigator Glen Mulcaire - asked if Mr Mulcaire would deny it, she says: "I'm sure he would - it's the truth".
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Mrs Brooks says she first heard Glen Mulcaire's name in 2006. She said she knew of other private investigators, "but he was not one of them".
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She says she had not met another private investigator - Jonathan Rees. "He wasn't a name familiar with me," she says - adding she is told he rejoinined the NoW in 2005/6 - and worked for various newspapers at the end of the 1990s.
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She says it "seems extraordinary" that Rees was rehired by the News of the World, after his conviction.
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Mrs Brooks says she does not know what Jonathan Rees did for the NoW - Tom Watson suggests that, as chief executive of the company, that seems incredible.
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Mrs Brooks said she did have contact with another private investigator Steve Whittamore - she says her use of PIs while at the NoW was "purely legitimate" and mostly to do with tracking down convicted paeodophiles for her "Sarah's Law" campaign
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Tom Watson suggests Mr Whittamore was involved in trying to get information on the Dowlers - Ms Brooks says she became aware of that two weeks ago. She says the number he was trying to track down was a business number and "widely known".
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Mrs Brooks is asked if she has any regrets. She says: "Of course," referring to the alleged hacking of Milly Dowler's phone as "abhorrent".
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Tory MP Louise Mensch asks about hacking and blagging - she says another former NoW editor Piers Morgan had admitted accessing phone messages while he was editor of the Daily Mirror.
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Ms Mensch asks if it was not obvious that using PIs and illegal activities were part of a Fleet Street culture. Mrs Brooks says the failings of all newspapers in not understanding the extent of private investigators across Fleet Street has already been held to account. The "climate" was different now, she says.
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Mrs Brooks is asked whether payments to the police were widespread across newspapers or confined to News International. She says she has never paid a policeman or sanctioned a payment - a 2003 statement to MPs that she had referred to a "widely held belief" as opposed to practice, she explains.
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She says in her experience information from police comes "free of charge".
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Louise Mensch refers to Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre's assertion - at a select committee on Mondy - that he had never sanctioned a story based on hacking or blagging. Mrs Brooks says she didn't see Mr Dacre's comments but out of all the media groups, News International has been the one to "openly welcome" an inquiry into all Fleet Street practices. She says she doesn't want to comment on other newspaper groups.
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Mrs Brooks stresses that News International is trying to put things right and says there should be a constant review of conduct and ethics of journalists
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Mrs Brooks says there was a "fundamental change across most newspapers" in 2002/3 with changes to the Data Protection Act, particularly after the publication of the information commissioner's first report "What price privacy?," which exposed the trade in personal details.
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She says she was editor of the Sun at the time and could say it was a "clean ship".
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Labour MP Jim Sheridan asks about the closure of the News of the World. Mrs Brooks says it was a collective decision, which "we all took together" - with Rupert Murdoch.
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A bit of breaking news now: Hacking suspect Neil Wallis may have provided "informal advice" to David Cameron's communications chief Andy Coulson before the general election, the Conservative Party have said.
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In a statement, the Tory Party said neither Wallis or his company had been contracted to the party and no payments had been made to either of them. But he may have provided some informal advice on a voluntary basis before the election.
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The party adds: "We are currently finding out the exact nature of any advice. We can confirm that apart from Andy Coulson, neither David Cameron nor any senior member of the campaign team were aware of this until this week."
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Back to the committee hearing: Mrs Brooks praises the "very honourable" journalists at the News of the World who had been "baffled" by the decision to close it.
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She says the newspaper had been in the headlines for the "wrong reasons" for too long - but stresses hundreds of journalists there were not culpable and says they are trying to find jobs for "everybody" across News Corporation.
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She says it could be a year or more before they "get to a position where we know what happened"
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Labour's Jim Sheridan asks about missing emails at the trial of MSP Tommy Sheridan (no relation). Mrs Brooks says the Information Commissioner has said he is "entirely comfortable" with News International's response.
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Tory MP Damian Collins asks about the Milly Dowler case - Mrs Brooks goes through how a newspaper handles a big story like that.
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It may surprise some people that Rebekah Brooks can't remember exactly when she knew that Milly Dowler's phone had been hacked: "Last monday, maybe the monday before."
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She clarified she first knew of the allegation that Milly Dowler's phone was hacked "two weeks ago" and wrote to Surrey Police.
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Mrs Brooks says Milly Dowler's disappearance was a "terrible" news story which had gone on for years, as the trial of Levi Bellfield has only just concluded.
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She says at the time she believed that on the Milly Dowler and Soham cases the press had respected the privacy of the families - but admits that looks ridiculous in hindsight: "Clearly these allegations, if true, are appalling and contradict the statement I made"
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Mrs Brooks says she was convinced "Sarah's Law" was in the public interest and that was the reason for her use of private detectives.
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Mrs Brooks tells Paul Farrelly - who used to work at the Observer before becoming an MP - the his old newspaper would also have used private detectives during his time there
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Mrs Brooks says the argument that there was only one "rogue reporter" involved in phone hacking was a "reality" at the time - based on the police investigation and trials.
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Mrs Brooks says her own phone messages were accessed by Glen Mulcaire on a regular basis - and she had the "same knowledge as everyone else" about it.
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Labour's Ivan Lewis has given his reaction to the news that Neil Wallis may have provided Andy Coulson with "informal" advice before the election: "This revelation raises further serious concerns about David Cameron's judgement in appointing Andy Coulson. He must now come clean about Neil Wallis' role and activities in supporting Andy Coulson, both in his capacity as director of communications for the Tory Party, and then the prime minister."
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Back to the committee: Was Mrs Brooks on holiday at the time Milly Dowler's phone was allegedly hacked? She denies the company put out any statements to that effect. She says she was away at the time but feels it was irrelevant because, as editor, it would have happened "on her watch". Andy Coulson was her deputy at the time.
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Asked about previous efforts by the company to respond to phone hacking allegations - Mrs Brooks says when they saw a new file it put a "new light" on matters and they had passed it on to police.
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"I don't know anyone ni their right mind who would authorise ... anyone listening to the voicemails of Milly Dowler in those circumstances," Mrs Brooks says.
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Paul Farrelly refers to silence across Fleet Street about the coverage of the phone hacking allegations in 2009 - did Mrs Brooks encourage editors not to cover it?
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Mrs Brooks says she does not recall calling Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre about it but they would discuss "industry matters" on occasion. She also denies telling London mayor Boris Johnson she wanted Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger to beg for her forgiveness: "Absolutely not".
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Commons speaker John Bercow is "very concerned at what has occurred" during Rupert Murdoch's hearing, he spokesman has said.
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Mr Bercow "has asked for the incident to be thoroughly investigated. It is wholly unacceptable that a member of the public should treat a witness in this way".
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According to Bloomberg, News Corp shares are up 5.9% since opening in New York this morning.
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Mrs Brooks says she has to be careful about what she says about the Milly Dowler allegations due to legal proceedings - but repeats that they are "abhorrent" to her and were unknown to her at the time.
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She says when the story allegedly based on hacking Milly's phone was run nine years ago - it was a single column on page nine of the newspaper, questions would have been asked of the reporter or news editor, the lawyer would have checked them. No-one would have said it came from an illegal voicemail interception, says the former NoW editor.
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Mrs Brooks says any newsroom is "based on trust" - stories get published on trust and you rely on the people who work for you to behave "in a proper manner".
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Mrs Brooks says if the former Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh came to him with a leaked story without naming his sources "I knew it to be true" - because of his standing and experience as a journalist.
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Director of public prosecutions Keir Starmer is now being questioned by the Home Affairs Committee. He says he was not personally consulted by John Yates before the Met officer decided not to reopen the phone hacking inquiry in July 2009.
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But, added the DPP, soon after that he had two phone conversations with Mr Yates about potential material in the case about which he had concerns.
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A senior lawyer has told the Home Affairs Select Committee that material which News International handed over to the police last month contained evidence of serious criminal offences. After Scotland Yard received the file they launched Operation Elvedon - the investigation into alleged corrupt payments to police officers. It is running in conjunction with the inquiry into phone hacking. The top QC, Lord Macdonald of River Glaven, (the former Director of Public Prosecutions) was employed by News Corporation to examine the material. He said that when he told the board what was in the file they were stunned and shocked.
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e-mails: Why was Rebekah Brookes allowed to hear James and Rupert Murdoch's testimony to the committee? Was it so that she could be familiar with the questions and their answers?
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Back at the culture committee, Tory MP Therese Coffey withdraws a question about who might yet be charged with crimes
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Therese Coffey asks whether Mrs Brooks regrets any headlines she had published - Mrs Brooks say any editor in Fleet Street would have made some mistakes and she was no different. But having been in the spotlight herself, she says she would still defend the rights of a "free press".
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When she was chief executive, Mrs Brooks says her office was next to James Murdoch's and she spoke Rupert Murdoch, on average, "every other day".
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Did she know that former NoW reporter Neville Thurlbeck was a police informant, as cliamed in press reports earlier? "No," says Mrs Brooks, apparently surprised by the revelation: "Is that true?". Mr Davies says the Evening Standard is reporting that he was - based on court reports. Mrs Brooks says she's not even sure what it means - the press and police do exchange information for public interest, she says.
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Mrs Brooks says News International had stepped up its response to the phone hacking allegations and there would not now be a new police investigation, if the company had not handed over more details to the police
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Mrs Brooks says she and the Murdochs have come before the committee to try to explain "openly and honestly" what had happened - the committee's previous criticisms "had been felt"
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Asked by the home affairs committee whether the legal advice given to the police about potential prosecutions in cases of phone hacking was too "narrow", DPP Keir Starmer says this should never have "inhibited" any police investigation on the case.
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Rebekah Brooks says she has never been to Downing St under David Cameron - but about six times a year under Gordon Brown
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Mrs Brooks says she has never been to Downing Street while David Cameron has been PM but she went "regularly" under Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.
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Mrs Brooks says she has never been horse riding with David Cameron and has no idea where the story came from - she says it's been suggested she owns a racehorse or some land with the prime minister: "I do not," she says. There's "a lot out there that isn't true" - particularly around her relationship with David Cameron, who she says is a "neighbour" and a "friend" but she has never had a conversation with him privately that anyone would disapprove of.
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Down the corridor at the home affairs committee, Keir Starmer is asked whether he had any personal contacts with News International which may have compromised his ability to do his job. Mr Starmer says "absolutely not".
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With that, Mr Starmer concludes his evidence. Now it is the turn of Mark Lewis, one of the lawyers representing the family of Milly Dowler.
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Back to the culture committee: Mrs Brooks says it is public knowledge that it was George Osborne's idea that the discussions over whether to employ Andy Coulson should begin after he left the News of the World.
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Mrs Brooks says it is "not true" that she suggested Mr Coulson be hired, as some press reports have suggested.
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Does Mrs Brooks "swap gossip" with Mr Cameron that might have been obtained by illegal means? Mrs Brooks says she has said that any social encounters with the prime minister saw only "wholly appropriate" conversations.
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Mrs Brooks also says it is not true that Andy Coulson's salary was subsidised by News International - she says press reports to that effect are "incorrect".
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Mrs Brooks says it is "wholly unfair" to single out the News of the World as the only paper to have close relations with the police and politicians.
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Breaking news on the death of ex-NoW journalist Sean Hoare: A post mortem has found "no evidence of third party involvement and the death is non-suspicious".
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Rebekah Brooks closes the session with an apology - the line from both her and the Murdochs seems to be "this dreadful stuff happened on our watch but we are shocked and we are the ones to clear it up."
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As the session ends, Mrs Brooks asks the committee that, when she is free from legal constraints, it will invite her back so she can answer them in a fuller way. She also says it is important for the Dowler family and others that the current investigations get to the bottom of events.
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Over at the home affairs committee, Keith Vaz is keen to bring a long day's proceedings to an end and questions to Dowler family lawyer Mark Lewis are wrapped up pretty quickly. Mr Vaz complements the lawyer on his work for the family and says their experience must have been "truly horrific".
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Interesting the extent to which Rebekah Brooks distanced herself from Andy Coulson - including denying reports about News International subsidising his salary and running a mile from the suggestion that she put him forward for the post as David Cameron's communications chief.
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Labour MP Cathy Jamieson - who was blocked from joining the culture committee by a Tory MP last night - has now been approved by the Commons without objection. She was allowed to take part in today's final session for just one minute, taking her seat just as the session with Rebekah Brooks was coming to an end.
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Did the culture committee get the answers it wanted? Chairman John Whittingdale does not sound too sure, saying it "has taken our knowledge a little further - but it is going to be subject to a full judicial inquiry."
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John Whittingdale says he his glad the Murdochs and Rebekah Brooks did not just "sit in silence" as some had predicted they would - and all three had made important statements on the record.
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A bit more on the Sean Hoare post mortem. Here is a statement from Hertfordshire constabulary: "Further toxicology results are now awaited and there is an on-going examination of health problems identified at the post mortem. Please note, toxicology reports can take some weeks and we cannot make any further comments on the post mortem, including the problems at this time."
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Well - it's the end of a long day in Parliament so we'll wrap up our live coverage of the day here. For those interested in a catch-up of Rebekah Brooks's appearance -
you can watch back a clip here. Many thanks to everyone who joined us throughout the day and to those who contributed. The story continues tomorrow as David Cameron makes a statement on phone hacking in the Commons to be followed by another MPs' debate.
1215: Iain Watson Political correspondent, BBC NewsKeith Vaz has fessed up to his own connections with Champney's but raised the issue that would take the current controversy close to David Cameron's door very early on in proceedings
1901: June Kelly Home Affairs correspondentA senior lawyer has told the Home Affairs Select Committee that material which News International handed over to the police last month contained evidence of serious criminal offences. After Scotland Yard received the file they launched Operation Elvedon - the investigation into alleged corrupt payments to police officers. It is running in conjunction with the inquiry into phone hacking. The top QC, Lord Macdonald of River Glaven, (the former Director of Public Prosecutions) was employed by News Corporation to examine the material. He said that when he told the board what was in the file they were stunned and shocked.
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