All over the world the media have become more central to democratic politics, and the latest and biggest storm to hit British politics concerns politicians’ relationships with Rupert Murdoch and his media empire and, in particular, the fate of a famous Sunday scandal sheet the News of the World.

To understand the scandal you have to appreciate how long and how fervently politicians in Britain have genuflected at the feet of Mr Murdoch and his media empire. Successive political leaders including Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and the current Prime Minister David Cameron, have been desperate for his favour. They believed that without his support (and in particular the support of his tabloid the Sun) they could not hope to win elections.

This meant that time after time he was able to expand his media holdings in the UK with the connivance of politicians. He now owns the biggest media group in the UK. His British newspapers include The Times, The Sunday Times, the Sun and, until today, the News of the World.

Nowhere else in the world could someone, who is not a national of the country, have such large media holdings. Murdoch also has extensive media holdings around the world, including Fox News in the United States.

But a scandal has erupted because of the journalistic practices of one of his papers, the News of the World. It has always been an exceptionally salacious tabloid which specialises in entrapment and title tattle about people’s sex lives.

But there have been stories circulating for some years that the News of the World, and other tabloids, routinely hacked into private individuals’ phones and listened to their phone messages in order to get exclusive stories. It is also the case that News of the World journalists, in common with other journalists, were alleged to have close relationships with policemen who regularly tipped them off.

It is certainly the case that you often see stories in the tabloid press in Britain which could only have come from police sources.

But what has made the whole issue explosive is the revelation that the News of the World was not only hacking into the mobile phones of celebrities and minor royalty, it was hacking into the mobile phones of murdered children, the families of dead soldiers and the victims of terrorist attacks.

The News of the World in particular was hacking into people’s phones on an industrial scale. It appeared to have become a cornerstone of their style of journalism. The British public was revolted. Now it has become clear that News of the World journalists have not just been buying their friends in the police the odd drink. They have been paying-off policemen with tens of thousands of pounds.

So great was the outcry that Rupert Murdoch has been forced to close down the 168-year-old News of the World altogether. Nobody knows what fresh scandals this weekend will bring. But the police, media and political establishment are quivering with fear.

Diane Abbott is the British Labour Party’s shadow public health minister

https://www.dianeabbott.org.uk