British lawmakers investigating a phone hacking scandal Tuesday asked media baron Rupert Murdoch, his son James, and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks to testify before them, hours after former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused their newspaper group of illegally obtaining private information about him.

Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee asked the three to appear next Tuesday, July 19, a representative told CNN.

"Senior executives" of Murdoch's British newspaper company "will cooperate," News International said in a statement, without specifying names.

If the Murdochs and Brooks do not answer the summons, parliament can compel them to do so, Labour lawmaker Chris Bryant -- who believes he is a hacking victim -- said on Twitter.

Brown accused Murdoch's newspapers of having "links with criminals" as he spoke to the BBC Tuesday about allegations the Sunday Times illegally obtained private information about him.

Brown accused the paper of getting his bank details, saying he was "genuinely shocked" by its methods.

The Sunday Times denied Brown's allegations and said it pursued the story about him in the public interest.

"We were told that Mr. Brown had bought a flat cheaper than any normal valuation and that he obtained it through a company in which Geoffrey Robinson, a close ally, had been a director," it said in a statement Tuesday.

"We had reasonable grounds to investigate this matter .... We believe no law was broken in the process of this investigation, and contrary to Mr. Brown's assertion, no criminal was used and the story was published giving all sides a fair hearing."

Brown's allegations, however, widen the scandal that brought down Britain's best-selling newspaper, News of the World, to other newspapers also owned by Murdoch's News International media group.

Comment:
Well I actually didn't understand to mucho this notice but what I understando is that somebady has jacked one cellphone that was of a very importat person at the U.K and that they what to put a law so thayt can't be done again