What were senior Murdoch aides doing at the Mail?

Journalists in Northcliffe House, Kensington - home to both the Mail and the Independent newspapers - are still gossiping about the sudden appearance in the building yesterday of Rupert Murdoch's senior lieutenants, Rebekah Wade (now Rebekah Brooks since her marriage) and his son James Murdoch.

According to reports, they barged into the office of the Independent's editor-in-chief Simon Kelner and, in an angry exchange, accused him of breaking one of the unwritten rules of Fleet Street - namely, that you don't slag off each other's proprietors.

The reason for this was the Independent's promotional wraparound yesterday, which bore the slogan: 'Rupert Murdoch will not decide the outcome of the election. You will.'

The slogan was a clear reference to the fact that Murdoch decided last year to drop his support for Labour and back David Cameron instead, as a result of which Murdoch's dailies, especially the Sun, have been out to crucify the Lib dem leader Nick Clegg who, ever since last Thursday's TV debate, has threatened to upset the Tory applecart. (The fact that Murdoch had to be persuaded by his son James to back Cameron, who Rupert had always found "too slick", brings added nuance to the story.)

Anyway, once Rebekah Wade (sorry, Brooks) and James Murdoch had finished their shouting match and left Kelner's office, the gossip among the Indy hacks turned to what the pair might have been doing in the building in the first place.

Inquiries revealed that Brooks and Murdoch had not come to Kensington just to rant at Kelner - they had actually come for a meeting with Paul Dacre, the Mail's editor-in-chief.

Now why would Murdoch's people be chatting to the most senior man at Britain's most Conservative paper at a time like this? Could they be meeting to coordinate their efforts to help Cameron win the crown on May 6?

It's a wild idea - but these are extraordinary times. Clegg has come from nowhere to ruin what always looked like a surefire win for the Conservatives and Rupert Murdoch is not the sort of man who likes to be seen backing a loser. ·