This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Rupert Murdoch has launched a twin attack on the BBC and the "toffs" he says are about to gag the press just days before the government makes a key decision on the new newspaper watchdog.

The media tycoon – whose company owns a large stake in BSkyB as well as three national newspaper titles – has lambasted what he says is a leftwing bias in the corporation's journalism, accusing it of being a broadcast arm of the Guardian.

"Huge lack of balance in UK media with 8,000 BBC leftwing journalist far outnumbering all national print journalists," he tweeted.

Ten hours later he returned to his theme. "BBC massive taxpayer funded mouthpiece for tiny circulation leftist Guardian. Meanwhile print media about to be gagged to protect toffs."

Murdoch's tweets come just two days before the privy council is meeting to consider a press regulatory system put forward by the industry's biggest players including his News UK, owner of the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times.

News UK, along with virtually all newspaper publishers in the UK bar the Guardian, the Financial Times and the Independent, has proposed its own royal charter which will be considered by the privy council on Wednesday.

This was produced in early summer to rival a government royal charter that was agreed in March over late night discussions with Labour and Hacked Off, the campaign group lobbying on behalf of victims of the press including Kate and Gerry McCann and celebrities such as JK Rowling and Hugh Grant who have complained about their privacy being breached.

Many newspaper executives believe they have lost the battle to get acceptance for an industry plan and the privy council will reject their royal charter when it meets at 5.30pm on Wednesday.

The privy council is the mechanism through which interdepartmental agreement is reached on government issues. It is made up of government ministers and is currently headed by Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister.

This raises the prospect of Murdoch and the other leading newspaper groups including Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers, Trinity Mirror, the Telegraph Media Group and regional and local newspapers and magazines of launching their own breakaway regulator.

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