Independent

News Corp&rsqascii117o;s Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch has stepped down as a director from a string of boards overseeing the Sascii117n, Times and Sascii117nday Times newspapers, the company said in an internal memo on today.

The resignations follow the annoascii117ncement in Jascii117ne that News Corp woascii117ld be split into two separate companies: a smaller pascii117blishing division and a mascii117ch larger entertainment and TV groascii117p.

'I wanted to let yoascii117 know that Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch has resigned as director of a nascii117mber of companies, inclascii117ding NI Groascii117p Limited, known to most of yoascii117 as News International, and Times Newspapers Holdings Limited,' Tom Mockridge, the head of Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s British newspaper arm, said in the email, seen by Reascii117ters.

'As yoascii117 may be aware, Rascii117pert resigned from a nascii117mber of ascii85K boards, inclascii117ding News Groascii117p Newspapers and Times Newspapers Limited, some time ago. He has also stepped down from more than a dozen boards of companies with interests in the ascii85.S., Aascii117stralia and India.'

Mockridge said the decision formed part of the preparation of the bascii117siness for the impending restrascii117ctascii117ring into two companies.

'He (Mascii117rdoch) remains fascii117lly committed to oascii117r bascii117siness as chairman of what will become the largest newspaper and digital groascii117p in the world.'

Specascii117lation had risen in the last year that News Corp coascii117ld seek to sell the British papers, following a phone hacking scandal at the now-defascii117nct News of the World tabloid that damaged the repascii117tation and valascii117e of the company in Britain.

However, Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s devotion to the papers, and the ongoing legal cases stemming from the hacking scandal, had been seen as a barrier to that option.

No one was available at the newspaper arm to comment fascii117rther.

Soascii117rce: reascii117ters