London: Former British Premier Tony Blair
tried to hush up the News of the World's phone-hacking scandal
by urging his successor Gordon Brown to persuade the Labour MP
-- who led the campaign to expose the tabloid -- to back off,
a media report said.
Blair, who is said to have close links with the UK
tabloid's owner Rupert Murdoch, wanted Brown to get his ally
Tom Watson to lay off the News International title, but Brown
refused, the 'Daily Mail' quoted sources as saying.
Watson's two-year crusade played a major part in
Murdoch's shock decision to close the newspaper after Sunday's
edition, the report said.
Brown's office has declined to comment on whether
Blair had intervened, saying, "We never comment on private
conversations."
But a friend of Brown said, "There is no doubt about
it, Tony wanted Gordon to intervene."
A spokesman for Blair, however, said, "The allegation
is categorically untrue." He declined to elaborate on which
aspect was untrue.
Blair's alleged attempt to persuade Brown to put
pressure on Watson is likely to bring his links with Murdoch
under fresh scrutiny.
On becoming Labour leader in 1994, Blair flew to
a conference hosted by Murdoch to end Labour's feud with him.
The alliance continued throughout Blair's 10 years as British
Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, as Murdoch's papers, The
Times, The Sun and the News of the World supported him.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, July 10, 2011, 17:56