You can't buy OUR election, Murdoch

I've been out on battle bus today with our special guest Harriet Harman. By the time we got to Wolverhampton, the Prescott Express passed 3,000 miles and our 35^th constituency visit in 21 days.

I finished off with a meeting with Unite shop stewards and a stump speech in the town centre.

So I only just discovered in the last hour or so what happened to Gordon. Whilst the media are concentrating on what he said and the apology, the REAL story is how and why it happened.

Yet again the dying Murdoch empire is doing all it can to influence a British election. First, his News of the World editor Andy Coulson joins Cameron to use the same dirty tricks he employed on that newspaper for the Conservatives.

Then The Sun came out for the Tories during our conference. What an effect that had! The Tories have seen their poll rating go from 41% poll to 33%!

So then the News of the World backed the Tories. Effect? Nothing!

Murdoch's son James and News International head (and former Sun Editor) Rebekah Brooks then resorted to bullying the Editor of the Independent (oh the irony) IN HIS OWN OFFICE to stop him criticising daddy!

But today the Murdoch family reached a new low in their desperate attempt to turn the election for the Tories.

News International's Sky News broadcast a PRIVATE conversation between Gordon and his staff. 

The very same News International that tapped hundreds of phones and saw one of their reporter's jailed after listening and publishing conversations involving the Royal Family.

The News of the World and its then editor Andy Coulson claimed it was a ‘rogue reporter' and that Cameron's spin doctor knew nothing about it.

So why did they pay off over a million to Gordon Taylor and Max Clifford to buy their silence?

What Murdoch's Sky News did today was just as bad as his paper's phone tapping.

It was a breach of privacy, it was underhand and it was done in the pursuit of ratings and political influence.

So let's show them that Britain is not for sale.

That an Australian with an American passport cannot buy our General Election.

And I'll be the first to proudly proclaim on May 7 - "It's the Sun Wot Lost It"

7.30pm UPDATE: I've tweeted this out before but it seems more timely tonight. So here's my message to Labour's supporters....