RUPERT Murdoch faces an increasingly difficult battle to contain the damage to his media empire from the News of the World scandal and to save his takeover bid for broadcaster BSkyB, now threatened by a vote in Britain's Parliament.

As the last edition of the disgraced Sunday tabloid was published yesterday, public reaction to the scandal intensified, with major advertisers and investors taking aim at the company.

Renault pulled all advertising from the News International group, including The Times and The Sunday Times. The Church of England's investment arm said it would sell millions of dollars worth of News Corp shares if senior managers were not held to account for News of the World's ''utterly reprehensible and unethical'' conduct.

Labour will seek a vote in Parliament this week for the $A17.9 billion BSkyB deal to be delayed until police inquiries into the scandal are completed, which could take years.