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James Murdoch stepping aside from BSkyB?

July 22, 2011

By Chris Forrester

It seems increasingly likely that James Murdoch will be asked to step aside from his chairmanship role at BSkyB while the assorted investigations into News Corp continue.

BSkyB’s independent directors are reportedly adamant that until the phone-hacking scandal is resolved – and which has now seen former News of the World editor Colin Myler directly contradict James Murdoch’s evidence to a parliamentary committee – that Murdoch should step aside. Myler says that Murdoch was aware that phone-hacking extended beyond a single journalist.

Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton, the Random House chief executive Dame Gail Rebuck and Daniel Rimer of Index Ventures are the leading independent directors on the Sky board. One proposal is that senior independent director Nicholas Ferguson will become acting chairman.

A BSkyB board meeting is scheduled for this coming Thursday.

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