It was the journalistic coup of the moment, the first British newspaper interview with Donald Trump since his victory. But there was one thing The Times of London did not reveal: that its proprietor Rupert Murdoch was sitting in on the conversation.

The chairman of News Corp was not in pho-tographs of the meeting last month at Trump Tower in Manhattan, but two people have confirmed he was at the interview, conducted by Michael Gove, a former British cabinet minister and proponent of the UK’s exit from the EU.

Mr Murdoch’s presence is a sign of the mogul’s interest in Mr Trump and his close relationship with the new president and his family. The Financial Times revealed this week that the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, was until recently a trustee of Grace and Chloe, Mr Murdoch’s daughters by his ex-wife Wendi Deng.