Murdoch denies playing puppet master to PMs

Rupert Murdoch rejected accusations that he used his media empire to play puppet master to a succession of prime ministers, electrifying a media inquiry that has shaken the British government and unnerved much of the establishment.

The appearance of the world’s most powerful media mogul is a high point in an inquiry which has laid bare collusion between ministers, police, and Murdoch’s News Corp, reigniting concern over the cosy ties between big money, the media and power in Britain.

Murdoch, 81, was immediately asked about his relationship to politics and British “toffs”, a reference to his regular attacks on Britain’s gilded establishment, which the Australian-born tycoon has often lampooned as snobbish and inefficient.