apology

"Taaf suggested that I might want to offer up an apology for my life", King wrote, "but an apology assumes a crime, an offence, a misdeed".

He told the committee: "It took time to get it right, what the actual apology was for."

He suggested he hadn't accepted the apology being suggested by news executives, because it wasn't sufficient.

He said it took time to investigate the issue properly and agree on an apology, explaining: "It took time to get it right, what the actual apology was for."

Asked if there was pressure from the board to delay the apology, he said "absolutely not".