1330: Edward Parry from Chester
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.
1330: Philip Shaw from Kidderminster
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.
1329:
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.
1329: Iain Watson Political correspondent, BBC News
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.
1328:
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.
1328: Nick Vaughan from Hereford
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'.
1327:
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.
1326: Blogger Harry Cole
tweets: Would quite like a tshirt with "You'll have to ask Mr Yates about that" on it.
1325:
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.
1324: Labour MP for Exeter Ben Bradshaw
tweets: #wato disagree with usually excellent Norman Smith's analysis. No10 warning Stephenson off mentioning Wallis moves story on big time
1323: Jo from Birmingham
e-mails: Looking into phone hacking wasn't as important as fighting terrorism, but lunches with newspaper editors was?
1322:
Sir Paul says with a big story, the Met would generally try to put a response out as quickly as possible.
1322:
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.
1321:
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.
1318: Iain Watson Political correspondent, BBC News
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.
1317: Laura Kuenssberg
tweets: This is running v late - possible now that Yates will still be at Home Affairs when the Murdochs' evidence begins
1314: politics.co.uk
tweets: Starting to feel a bit like a warm up act now. Bring on Rupert. I imagine twitter is going to explode - http://bit.ly/q48nsy #hackgate
1313:
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
1311: Political Editor of Sky News Adam Boulton
tweets: 2 More witnesses: John Yates and Dick Fedorcio to fit in before Murdochs at 2.30pm. No apology yet on anything from Stephenson.
1311:
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.
1310:
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
1308: politics.co.uk
tweets: Wallis never came to Sir Paul's office. But he gave him occasional advice on speeches. Confusing - http://bit.ly/q48nsy #hackgate
1308:
The session had been due to end at 1315 - looks like it's going to overrun.
1307:
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.
1305: Journalist Andrew Watt
tweets: Stephenson close to getting annoyed #hackgate #notw #hacking
1305:
It's going round in circles a bit as Sir Paul again says he had no reason to doubt Mr Wallis
1304: Brad Bennett from Pershore
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.
1303:
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.
1302: Liz A from London
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?
1301:
Were police judgements clouded because of friendships with journalists? Sir Paul says he has no reason to believe that.
1300:
Sir Paul says he does not read former Met Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman's columns in the Times
1259:
David Winnick is not convinced - Sir Paul says the original phone hacking investigation, which resulted in two convictions, had appeared successful at the time
David Pavett from London
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?
1257:
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.
1255:
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.
1255:
Sir Paul says he does not believe the Met was "involved in a conspiracy".
1254:
Sir Paul denies putting pressure on the Guardian to "lay off" the phone hacking story
1254:
Was Neil Wallis on £1,000 a day? Sir Paul says he was told he was "the cheapest person available".
1252:
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".
1251:
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
1251:
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.
1250:
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".
1249:
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.
1248:
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.
1247: Iain Watson Political correspondent, BBC News
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.
1246:
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.
1245:
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
1244: Iain Watson Political correspondent, BBC News
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
1244:
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.
1243:
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".
1242: Paul Collings from Brighton
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?
1242:
The stay at Champneys was declared in the hospitality register, despite there being no need to do so, Sir Paul says.
1241:
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.
1239:
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.
1237:
Mr Wallis did not declare to anyone at the Met that he was working for Champneys, Sir Paul says.
1236:
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.
1235:
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".
Sir Paul says that, when he became commissioner, there was no reason for the phone hacking case to be on his desk.
1232:
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.
1231:
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.
1231: Iain Watson Political correspondent, BBC News
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.
1229:
1227:
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.
1225:
The first time Sir Paul read an article mentioning Neil Wallis in connection with phone hacking was in January this year, he says.
1225:
Committee chairman quizzes Sir Paul about why he did not tell the home secretary about the plan to arrest Mrs Brooks
1224:
Sir Paul says he knew Rebekah Brooks was going to be arrested "a day or two before" it happened on Sunday.
1221: Iain Watson Political correspondent, BBC News
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.
1220:
Ex-News of the World journalist Neil Wallis's PR contract with the Met was "very minor and part-time", Sir Paul says.
1219:
Sir Paul says he never asked a question about phone hacking, as he had no reason to believe the original investigation had been unsuccessful.
1218:
"I made no personal attack on the prime minister", Sir Paul says.
1218:
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.
1216:
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.
1215: Iain Watson Political correspondent, BBC News
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
1213:
Many colleagues - and his wife - urged Sir Paul not to resign, he tells the home affairs committee.
1212:
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.
1210:
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.
1209:
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.
1208:
Home affairs committee chairman Keith Vaz thanks Sir Paul for attending during "difficult times".
1207:
Sir Paul Stephenson is in place before the committee.
1202:
Outgoing Metropolitan Police commisioner Sir Paul Stephenson has arrived for his home affairs select committee session.
1158:
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.
1156: Anna from London
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.
1151:
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.
1149: BBC News website reader
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.
1148: Tory Press HQ
tweets: Jonathan Powell: 'Brown saw cultivation of Murdoch as the first primary he had to win to gain the Labour leadership'
1146:
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.
1145:
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.
1144:
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.
1143:
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.''
1142: Tweetminster
tweets: Met Police has referred Dick Fedorcio, Director of Public Affairs, to the IPCC - full statement
1138:
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.
1135:
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.
1134: Sunday Telegraph Business Editor Kamal Ahmed
tweets: Friend In Washington DC tells me Murdochs and #hackgate top of the news on all channels #notw
1132:
Barrister Geoffrey Robertson says the culture committee will have to ask the Murdochs about the impact of breaches of privacy on the public.
1128: Robert Gilmour from Ayr
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.
1126: Laura Kuenssberg
tweets: College Green is like a during an election ! Haven't seen it this busy for ages - I count sixteen camera crews, lots of foreign media
1124: Chris Coltrane
tweets: News of the World closure caused a 30% jump in sales for Mail on Sunday - but 60% jump for Mirror. gu.com/p/3vjqb/tf
1122:
Conservative Party deputy chairman Michael Fallon says the government has been "in front of events" regarding phone hacking.
1118:
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.
1116:
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.
1113:
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.
1111:
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.''
1110:
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."
1106:
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.
1104: Dave Turner in London
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.
1103: Guy Kennaway in Somerset
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.
1101: BBC News website reader
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.
1100: PoliticSmarkets
tweets: Punters make Cameron 3/1 to losing his job before Clegg or Miliband http://bit.ly/pBcrJp
1059:
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.
1058:
1054: Editor of PoliticsHome.com Paul Waugh
tweets: Former Sunday Times Editor Harry Evans has just tried to amble his way to front of Q for Murdoch hearing. Q-hacking?
1052:
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.
1050: Journalist Danny Rogers
tweets: Top Met Police comms guy will be part of this afternoon's Parliamentary grilling...http://bit.ly/rrJ1MH
1048:
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.
1046:
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.
1045: Editor for The Daily Beast, Lloyd Grove,
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.
1043:
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.
1042:
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.
1041:
London Mayor Boris Johnson, at 4/1, is favourite to replace him as permanent leader of the Conservative Party
1040:
Bookmakers William Hill are offering odds of 16/1 about "under pressure" PM David Cameron being out of office by the weekend.
1039:
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.
1034: Philip, Southwick,
texts: Why not ask your many Labour Party interviewees why they did nothing about "the rogue press" during their 13 years in government?
1033: Matt collyer, Staffordshire,
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.
1028: Laura Kuenssberg
tweets: If you had your chance, what would you ask the Murdochs and Brooks?BBCNews wants to know - tweet me or text 61124
1026:
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.
1024: Political Editor of Sky News Adam Boulton
tweets: Tory MP Nick de Bois blocked the appointment of Labour's Cathy Jamieson. So committee make up is Con 5 Lab 4 L/D 1
1024:
Mr Winnick adds that the committee found evidence given by John Yates last week "pretty unconvincing".
1022:
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.
1021: The Spectator
tweets: Coffee House: Only police reform can keep politics out of policing http://bit.ly/ozdumB
1016:
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.
1014:
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.
1011: Labour MP for Bristol East Kerry McCarthy
So why was Labour's @cathyjamieson, with her knowledge of Sheridan trial, blocked by Tory @nickdebois from joining DCMS committee today?
1009:
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.
1005: David Jones MP
tweets: All politicians suffer sometimes at hands of press. Goes with territory. I'm sure Kinnock's call isn't prompted by bitterness.
1002: Telegraph Politics
tweets: Blog: Cressida Dick's appointment: more proof that the Met is an utterly shameless police force http://tgr.ph/qdO6FT.
0958:
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.
0954:
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.
0953: LabourList
tweets: For the first time in his brief tenure as PM, Cameron is on the ropes... http://bit.ly/r1JkKv
0952: Labour MP for Glasgow South Tom Harris
tweets: I understand why some Labour people will want to agree with Kinnock's press regulation comments. But don't, okay? Just don't.
0948:
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.
0943: Westminster Feed
tweets: Demise of John Yates -- Paul Flynn (Lab) http://blogm.in/bjk3Z
0940:
Rupert Murdoch has arrived at News International's headquarters in Wapping, east London. Son James is already there. Plenty for them to discuss.
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.
0934: joeyjones
tweets: Alf and I will watch the action in the edit suite today - about to do a preview of the home affairs committee
0933:
Labour leader Ed Miliband says MPs must quiz police, the Murdochs and Rebekah Brooks in a "calm and level-headed" way.
0932:
Rupert Murdoch will give a "good" performance, Lord Fowler says, adding that it would be a "great mistake" to underestimate him.
0930:
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.
0928:
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."
0927: politicshomeuk
tweets: Chris Bryant: 'We have to get to the bottom of this very murky pool'.
0926: Iain Dale
tweets: BBC Parliament is about to show the original 2003 Wade/ Coulson hearing. About to show on BBC Parliament 0930 - 1025 (then onto iPlayer).
0926:
Labour MP Chris Bryant, who alleges his phone was hacked, says Rupert Murdoch should have appeared before MPs at an earlier stage.
0920: Member of Parliament for Clwyd West David Jones
tweets: Kinnock's calls for press regulation highlight dangers of ill-considered response to NI issue. We don't want a censored press.
0918:
The select committee meetings are "the start of a process of change", Mr Clegg says.
0916:
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.
0914:
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.
0911: Political Animal
tweets: Five and a half hours before kick-off, there's already a dedicated queue outside Portcullis House for CMS Cttee. It's like Wimbledon.
0908: Culture committee member Tom Watson MP
tweets: 1st dirty trick of the day. Tory MP Nick Debois shouted "object" to Cathy Jamieson being appointed to our committee. So we're one down.
0906: Business reporter at the Guardian Graeme Wearden
tweets: Good news for Rupert Murdoch: "News Corp shares rally...". Bad news for Rupert Murdoch: "...on rumours of a new CEO." gu.com/p/3vjzd/tw
0900:
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.
0859: Journalist Danny Rogers
tweets: So much news about that Sean Hoare's death has almost been overlooked but very sad...
0857:
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.
0856:
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.
0855:
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.
0850:
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".
0847: Laura Kuenssberg
tweets: So plan your day! Stephenson up at 12, then Met head of press, then Yates at 1.15. Then 2.30 Rupert + James Murdoch, then Rebekah Brooks
0846:
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.
0845:
Mr Miliband tells Lorraine Kelly he has been "very disturbed" by the phone-hacking revelations.
0844:
Labour leader Ed Miliband is also facing a grilling today - from ITV's Lorraine Kelly. He is on the Daybreak sofa now.
0843:
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.
0842:
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.
0839:
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.
0836: ITV News Political Correspondent Lucy Manning
tweets: Feels odd being in Nigeria when so much going on at Westmin. Wonder if the PM feels the same way?
0835:
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.
0832: BBC Radio 4 Today
tweets: "I don't expect we will learn a huge amount" from the Murdochs at the committee, says @BBCNickRobinson, but it will be a "cathartic moment"
0830:
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."
0829: Giles Coren
tweets: Heard "Sun website" hacked, but must be the whole newsint system, coz i ca't anccess my email. Drat. Have to take day off. #silverlining
0827:
Ex-Labour leader Lord Kinnock tells Today there is a need for a "real assessment" of press ownership in the UK.
0827: Telegraph Politics
tweets: How the phone #hacking scandal has unfolded http://tgr.ph/onyOuy
0826:
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.
0826:
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.
0824: Tom White
tweets: Genuinely excited about the select committee today - three weeks ago this would have been absolutely unimaginable #hacking #murdoch
0823:
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."
0823:
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.
0821:
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".
0820:
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.
0817:
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.
0815:
After the Murdochs, it will be the turn of Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, and editor of the News of the World at the time Milly Dowler's phone was allegedly hacked by a private detective in the paper's employment. She was arrested on Sunday, having quit the company on Friday. As she is part of an ongoing police investigation, this is likely to restrict the nature of the evidence she can give the culture committee, and perhaps the questions to be asked.
0813:
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of what promises to be an extraordinary day. Rupert Murdoch, the most powerful figure in world media, is to be questioned by a committee of backbench MPs about his company News International's role in the ever-growing phone-hacking scandal. Appearing before the Commons culture committee, alongside son James, he is expected to be asked about allegations including payments to police and the hacking of the telephone of murdered teenager Milly Dowler - the story which brought the whole affair to such huge public prominence. Mr Murdoch Snr has never faced a Commons committee in more than 40 years of owning newspapers in the UK.
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