Brown says Murdoch hurt war effort

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LONDON, June 11 (UPI) -- Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, at the inquiry into the Murdoch media empire, Monday accused The Sun newspaper of harming Britain's war effort.

Brown's testimony, in which he denied Murdoch's description of some of their exchanges, rejected the suggestion his wife gave her permission for a 2006 story on their infant son with cystic fibrosis and claimed the newspaper "cause[d] huge damage to the war effort" in Afghanistan, began four days of evidence from political leaders, The New York Times reported Monday.

"The whole focus of their coverage was not what we had done, but that I personally did not care for our troops," Brown told the judicial inquiry led by Lord Chief Justice Sir Brian Levenson examining the relationship between British politicians and the press.

Brown also contradicted previous sworn testimony by Murdoch and by Rebekah Brooks, The Sun's former editor, the New York Times said.

Brown also received an apology from the National Health Service office in Fife, Scotland. John Wilson, chief executive of the Service, said it was "highly likely that, sometime in 2006, a member of the staff in NHS Fife spoke, without authorization, about the medical condition of Mr. Brown's son," the BBC said Monday.