BSKYB IS FALLING

Cameron to Urge Murdoch to Yank BSkyB Bid

PM will back Labour motion on Wednesday.

Believe it or not, Rupert Murdoch’s struggles in the U.K. are getting worse. A spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron says he will back a motion, proposed by the opposition Labour Party, asking News Corp. to withdraw its bid to take over BSkyB, a major broadcaster. Many of Murdoch’s actions in recent days—including his son James’s announcement that News Corp. would shutter the News of the World—have been seen as attempts to salvage the takeover, which is still subject to regulatory approval. But in the wake of news that News Corp. staffers hacked private records of former prime minister Gordon Brown, political pressure is making the takeover nearly politically impossible. The motion will be debated Wednesday. It’s a sharp turn for Cameron, who has called for press reform in recent days but has been close to Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks, a top deputy. For a time Cameron employed former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as his chief spokesman.