Murdoch, Deng & Blair - THAT LEAK

Where, many commentators asked themselves, did the Mail On Sunday’s political editor Simon Walters get his information for a series of seemingly well-sourced articles about the background to Rupert Murdoch’s decision to divorce Wendi Deng, and the involvement of the blessed Tone? No-one in the Murdoch empire, and certainly not Rupe himself, made any sign of complaint. It was as if the leak of information was authorised.

That's what I think of youse bladdy double-dealing bladdy Pommie bladdy former Prime bladdy Minister!

The first MoS splash to mention Blair set the scene: “Relations between Rupert Murdoch and Tony Blair have collapsed over reports of Mr Blair’s friendship with the media mogul’s ex-wife, Wendi Deng. The former Prime Minister has always maintained his friendship with Ms Deng is platonic. But Mr Murdoch is said to regard the rift with Mr Blair as ‘terminal’ and has refused to speak to him since he filed for divorce from Ms Deng in June. Mr Blair has tried to contact Mr Murdoch but has been rebuffed”.

Look guys, let's, hey, y'know ... move on

It went on: “Sources close to Mr Murdoch in London say that staff at his home in California claimed Mr Blair and Ms Deng stayed there overnight at the same time on weekends in October 2012 and April this year, without Mr Murdoch’s knowledge. It is also claimed that Mr Blair and Ms Deng had ‘multiple encounters’ of which Mr Murdoch was unaware”.

“Sources close to Mr Murdoch”? That translates as Rupe, or someone with his blessing - someone who, the MoS could be certain, was Murdoch’s authentic and trusted messenger. Who might that have been? Ah well. The process of identification has been assisted in no small part by Mail pundit Stephen “Miserable Git” Glover, who has written about the affair in the Oldie magazine, and his coded revelation bears careful study.

Glover tells “I have been told that a cache of documents was passed by a senior columnist on the Murdoch-owned Sun to Simon Walters, the Mail On Sunday’s ace reporter, on its proprietor’s instructions”. Note that Glover specifies the Sun, not its Sunday counterpart or any other Murdoch title. Note also that whoever the conduit was, Murdoch must have been certain that that person would behave as he instructed.

Moreover, those in the Northcliffe House bunker needed to be certain that the conduit was acting with Murdoch’s approval and on his instructions. Whoever was passing the information to Walters had to be readily and unequivocally identifiable as Murdoch’s messenger. That meant it had to be someone whose service to the Murdoch empire put their loyalty, and authenticity, beyond doubt.

Cooee Simon ... look who's visiting

And that person is a “senior columnist”, not an executive. Right now, my Occam’s Razor leads to only one name, and that name is the unimpeachably faithful Murdoch retainer Trevor Kavanagh. Kav has been with the Sun alone for more than 35 years, and before that worked on one of Rupe’s Australian titles, the now-defunct Sydney Daily Mirror. Murdoch could trust him. The MoS would know his information was good.

Glover may have revealed more than he intended. And for that, my sincere thanks.