Yet another highly visible official at the center of the unfolding phone hacking scandal has resigned: the British Metropolitan Police have accepted the resignation of John Yates, the assistant commissioner. The cozy relationship enjoyed between the Metropolitan Police and News International has been under increased scrutiny since the long-simmering scandal reignited weeks ago when allegations surfaced that the now-shuttered News Corp. News of the World tabloid had hacked the phone of a murdered girl. Yates resignation occurs only a day after Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson resigned amid the ongoing investigation. After running "We are sorry" ads in newspapers over the weekend, Rupert and James Murdoch have agreed to appear before a committee of MPs on Tuesday.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ehayden at nationaljournal dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Erik Hayden