Rupert Murdoch's wife has said that former Prime Minister Tony Blair is godfather to her two children with the embattled media tycoon.

Wendi Deng Murdoch (42) told Vogue magazine that Mr Blair was at the banks of the River Jordan when her daughters Grace and Chloe were baptised last year.

In the interview, Mrs Deng Murdoch claims that Mr Blair was "garbed in white" at the ceremony, which was hosted by Queen Rania of Jordan, a mutual friend of the Blairs and Mr Murdoch's third wife.

The ceremony was said to have taken place at the spot where, in the Biblical story, Christ was baptised by John.

But Mr Blair's role was never made public and the revelation in the wake of the News of the World phone hacking scandal will be embarrassing.

Mr Blair was reported two months ago to have asked his successor Gordon Brown to pressure Tom Watson, the MP who helped expose the scandal, to quit his probe.

But Mr Blair denied this.

There was no comment last night from Mr Blair's office or the Murdochs.

Belfast Telegraph