Rupert Murdoch's News International has been found by a parliamentary committee to have "deliberately" tried to block a Scotland Yard criminal investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World, the Guardian has learned.
The report by MPs from the all-party home affairs committee will be released on Wednesday and its publication has been moved forward in time for today's statement by prime minister David Cameron on the scandal.
The report's central finding comes a day after Rupert and James Murdoch testified before the culture, media and sport committee.
The home affairs committee report marks an official damning judgment on News International's actions. It finds the company deliberately tried to "thwart" the 2005-6 Metropolitan police investigation into phone hacking carried out by the News of the World.
The police investigation came at a time when Andy Coulson was editor. Coulson went on to be chosen by Cameron to be his director of communications, before resigning in January.