Tony Blair faces grilling over ties to Murdoch

LONDON - Tony Blair's decision to openly court Rupert Murdoch to win power and ensure favourable coverage during his decade-long tenure as British prime minister will come under scrutiny when he faces a media inquiry on Monday.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives before giving evidence before the Leveson Inquiry into the ethics and practices of the media at the High Court in central London May 28, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

The inquiry, ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron after Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid admitted hacking phones, has tarnished Britain's elite by laying bare the collusion between politicians, the police and the media.

Blair kicks off an important week at the Leveson inquiry by answering questions about his often obsessive media management which included courting Murdoch.

The inquiry has so far focused on the conduct of the media and the close ties between Murdoch's empire and serving ministers, helping the opposition Labour Party leader Ed Miliband consolidate his position with attacks on Cameron.

But the grilling of Blair, who recast the relationship between the media and politicians by "spinning" news to gain the most favourable coverage, could undermine Miliband's attempt to portray Labour as a party above courting media tycoons.

While Blair is no longer active in British politics, the inquiry may still prove uncomfortable as it examines issues such as his decision after stepping down as prime minister to become a godfather to Murdoch's daughter Grace at a ceremony on the banks of the river Jordan.  

"Blair led the way in having no shame about courting Murdoch," said Ivor Gaber, professor of political journalism at City university.  

"He set the style and the standard and if you regard Cameron as the 'heir to Blair' then it's not exactly surprising that he followed suit."

Murdoch told the inquiry last month that he had never asked a prime minister for anything.  

Blair set the tone for his relationship with Britain's press when he flew to Australia in 1995 to speak before a gathering of Murdoch's executives who had previously used their British tabloids to vilify his Labour Party predecessors.  

The decision infuriated much of his left-of-centre party who saw the Australian-born tycoon as a right-winger who had helped to keep them out of power for years.  

"People would be horrified," Blair said later in his autobiography. "On the other hand ... not to go was to say carry on and do your worst, and we knew their worst was very bad indeed."