By IRNA,
London : British MPs and Rupert Murdoch were involved in a stand-off Thursday when the 80-year old media tycoon refused to appear before the parliamentary Culture, Media and Sport Committee next week to answer questions about the phone hacking scandal embroiling his News International empire.
In response, the committee said that it was issuing a summon for Murdoch to attend next Tuesday along with his son James Murdoch, chairman of News International, who unlike his father, said he was willing, but that the date was inconvenient and the earliest would be next month.
The Australian-American press baron said in a letter that he would not give evidence to the committee but was willing to appear in front of the judge-led inquiry into the hacking scandal set up by the government.
The parliamentary committee also asked News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks to answer questions in person, who agreed to the request, but in a statement obtained by IRNA, it insisted all three should appear on July 19, the last day before parliament adjourns for nearly two months.
“The Committee has made clear its view that all three should appear to account for the behaviour of News International and for previous statements made to the Committee in Parliament, now acknowledged to be false,” the statement said.
“Accordingly, the Committee has this morning decided to summon Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch to appear before the Select Committee in Parliament at 2.30pm on Tuesday 19 July,” it said.
It was not immediately clear what power, if any, the committee has to enforce witnesses to give evidence or whether there is any difference in the father being non-British but the son being born in London.