James Murdoch has stepped down as executive chairman of News International, the UK newspaper business that owns the Sun and the Times titles.

The newspaper publisher has been tainted by phone-hacking allegations. The scandal led the company to close its News of the World title in July last year. Mr Murdoch will remain as deputy chief operating officer of parent group News Corporation, run by his father Rupert. ‘Bigger picture’

James Murdoch, 39, said: “I deeply appreciate the dedication of my many talented colleagues at News International who work tirelessly to inform the public.”

He added that the launch of a new Sunday edition of the Sun and “new business practices” put the company in a “strong position” for the future. Last year, James Murdoch twice appeared before the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee to answer questions as part of its inquiry into the phone-hacking scandal. Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, joined his son at one of the hearings. Paul Connew, a former News of the World deputy editor, said he was not surprised that James Murdoch had stood down.

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