Blair had ‘no choice but court the media’

British leaders have no choice but to court powerful media barons such as Rupert Murdoch or risk savage press attacks which are “full on, full frontal, day in, day out”, former prime minister Tony Blair told an inquiry.

Blair calmly justified his ties to Murdoch with whom he developed a close friendship.

An unwillingness to take on the press in Britain has been cited by many as the reason a culture of illegality and phone hacking came about at Murdoch’s tabloids, but Blair told the inquiry into media standards he had had little choice.