By Li Hongmei

Friendship between Rupert Murdoch and Tony Blair came to 'terminal' end over claims of 'multiple encounters' between ex-PM and tycoon's wife.

The former Prime Minister has always maintained his friendship with Ms Deng is platonic.

But Mr Murdoch is said to regard the rift with Mr Blair as 'terminal' and has refused to speak to him since he filed for divorce from Ms Deng in June. Mr Blair has tried to contact Mr Murdoch but has been rebuffed.

Sources close to Mr Murdoch in London say that staff at his home in California claimed Mr Blair and Ms Deng stayed there overnight at the same time on weekends in October 2012 and April this year, without Mr Murdoch's knowledge.

It is also claimed that Mr Blair and Ms Deng had 'multiple encounters' of which Mr Murdoch was unaware. They are said to include a weekend overnight stay at Mr Murdoch's home in Los Angeles and meetings in London and New York.

There is no suggestion by this newspaper of any impropriety by Mr Blair or Ms Deng. And Mr Blair's friends have repeatedly denied he had an affair with Ms Deng.

The divorce of Mr Murdoch, 82, and his 44-year-old third wife, was finalised by a US court last week.

A bitter war of words broke out last night between the rival camps of Mr Blair and Mr Murdoch.

A close friend of Mr Blair said: 'Rupert Murdoch is putting out ridiculous stories about Wendi and Tony which are not true. It is the ravings of a sad old man.'

A friend of News Corporation boss Mr Murdoch, whose newspaper empire includes The Sun and The Times, said: 'Rupert Murdoch will have nothing more to do with Tony Blair. Not ever.'

Mr Murdoch and Mr Blair formed one of the most powerful alliances in British politics, and it was a key factor in the three election victories which kept the Labor leader in Downing Street from 1997 to 2007.