A defiant Rupert Murdoch has said he will challenge the “total lies” issued about his News Corporation media empire in the phone hacking scandal when he appears before MPs next week.

David Cameron will pledge today to change the law to prevent the “disgusting sight” of MPs using parliamentary privilege in a bid to avoid prosecution for expenses abuses.

The nationalist SDLP were today accused of blocking moves for a special House of Commons committee to have sittings in Northern Ireland.