British politicians, police officers and senior News Corp executives were yesterday drawn into inquiries over the alleged hacking of high-profile figures' mobile telephones by journalists for some of Rupert Murdoch's UK newspapers.

The Information Commissioner's Office, which monitors privacy and access to official information in the UK, said 31 journalists working for The News of the World and The Sun had paid investigators to obtain personal information through “blagging” – impersonating the target of a journalistic investigation.

After a brief inquiry, London police said there was no need for further investigation into claims by The Guardian newspaper that “two to three thousand” public figures' phones may have been accessed, as no additional information had come to light.