Leveson Inquiry: as it happened He said he wanted a system that was able to provide swift redress "particularly to those who can't afford to litigate." Leveson added: I have absolutely no interest in imperilling freedom of expression or our free press. 14.50 Political blogger Paul Waugh tweets: 14.45 Telegraph blogger Iain Martin says Mr Blair appears to have the court "eating out of his hand." 14.40 The Telegraph's Rowena Mason tweets: 14.30 Reports that Mr Blair was "very angry" at Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam because she got a standing ovation at the Labour party conference and that his team had been "briefing against her" were "completely wrong," he said. 14.25 Mr Blair said "most people in public life" felt that if they got into a "tangle with the police" it would "get out." 14.15 The former Prime Minister says his wife Cherie had been the subject of a "personal vendetta" from some newspapers. He said her solicitors had calculated there were "30 different letters before action or legal actions started." I thought and do think the attacks on her and my children were unnecessary and wrong. If we were operating in a proper system, after intervention number ten, I would expect someone to be saying, 'hang on, is this right?' 14.10 Mr Blair says The Sun's criticism of his successor Gordon Brown over his letter to the mother of a soldier was "out of order and I said so at the time." 14.05 The inquiry resumes after lunch with a statement from Lord Leveson about the intrusion by a protester, saying that it is being taken "extremely seriously." He adds: "I very much regret what has happened." 13.35 The Telegraph's Rowena Mason writes: Tony Blair has admitted "intervening" on Rupert Murdoch's behalf with the Italian Prime Minister when the media tycoon was trying to buy a multi-billion pound business. The former Prime Minister said he took his Cabinet Secretary's advice on "propriety" before raising the issue of whether Mr Murdoch would be allowed to acquire part of the Mediaset Group. At the time in 1998, Downing Street furiously denied media reports that Mr Blair had brought the deal up during a telephone call with Romano Prodi, the Italian leader. In evidence to the Leveson Inquiry, Mr Blair said there was nothing wrong with asking his Italian counterpart about the possibility of a deal and betrayed frustration at the furore about the call at the time. 13.25 The Guardian's Dan Sabbagh tweets: 13.20 Video: Tony Blair responds to Iraq allegations 13.00 Inquiry has adjourned for lunch. Mr Blair has poured cold water on claims by former Labour spin doctor Lance Price that Rupert Murdoch was effectively the "24th member of the Cabinet." I don't know a policy that we changed as a result of Rupert Murdoch. He admitted that he and Mr Murdoch used to "row" over Europe. 12.55 Mr Blair said the "strongest lobbying" he received from the media was the BBC over the licence fee. He added that there was a "severe falling out" with the corporation over Iraq. 12.35 Video: Tony Blair 's evidence is interrupted by a protester at the Leveson Inquiry. 12.25 Paul Waugh tweets: 12.20 The inquiry was interrupted when a protester stormed in through a door reserved for a judge, saying "this man should be arrested for war crimes - JP Morgan paid him off for the Iraq war" - before being bundled off. The protester was later named as film maker David Lawley Wakelin. 12.10 Mr Blair says he offered his support to Rebekah Brooks in July last year, when she quit as News International chief executive and was arrested over phone hacking - as he did not believe in being a "fairweather" friend. I said I was very sorry for what had happened to her. 12.05 Mr Blair makes clear that Rupert Murdoch was the "key decision maker" rather than Rebekah Brooks, and adds that he does not think there were "many" social occasions on which he saw her. The former Prime Minister says he and Mrs Brooks were "probably closer" after he left office. He adds that he had never asked her or anybody else to make "attacks on individuals," adding: "I absolutely hate that type of politics." 12.00 On his personal relationship with Rupert Murdoch, Mr Blair says: I would describe my relationship with him as a working relationship until after I left office. There has been all this stuff about me being godfather to one of his children. After I left I got to know him better and frankly, the relationship can be a lot easier. 11.55 Mr Blair is asked about his discussions with Rupert Murdoch: In general terms, I can't recall conversations about media regulations per se. He didn't lobby me on media stuff. 11.50 Paul Waugh tweets this on Mr Blair's account of 1995 Murdoch meeting: 11.45 Mr Blair denies hatching a deal with Rupert Murdoch on his 1995 visit to Hayman Island: There was no deal on issues to do with the media with Rupert Murdoch or with anybody else, either expressly or implied, and to be fair he never sought such a thing. 11.40 This from the Telegraph's Michael Deacon: 11.30 Telegraph's Sarah Knapton tweets: