(British) Conservative links to Murdoch under scrutiny as private meeting revealed

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Rupert Murdoch's close links to the Conservative party were thrown into the spotlight today after it emerged that the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, held a private meeting with the tycoon's son, James, at which no civil servants were present.

The meeting took place on 28 June, shortly after News Corp said it had made an offer to buy the 61% of BSkyB it does not already own. James Murdoch is chairman of BSkyB and chief executive of News Corp in Europe and Asia.

Hunt's relations with the Murdochs are now under fresh scrutiny since he was handed official responsibility for ruling on News Corp's bid to take full control of BSkyB.

=snip=

Hunt has previously said publicly that he does not object to the takeover.

Referring to Hunt's meeting with James Murdoch, the Labour MP Tom Watson said: "It seems unprecedented that such a high level and legally significant meeting would not have civil servants present taking notes. I will be asking the chairman of the culture, media and sport select committee to ask Jeremy Hunt to explain himself to us as soon as possible".

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/dec/22/conservative-links-murdoch-private-meeting

---

Related OP of a story which developed really quickly yesterday leading to Hunt taking over Cable's role in this matter:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4668275">Britain's Business Secretary Vince Cable says he has 'Declared War' On Murdoch Empire

[paparush]

1. Thank god for the hard working (British) press. nt

[glinda]

2. K & R n/t

[mwooldri]

3. Does this mean Cable gets hsi responsibilities reinstated?

Can't have it both ways, and I trust Cable more than Hunt...

[tootrueleft]

4. Vince Cable is a decent fella, its crap what happened to him.

[gratuitous]

5. Why didn't Hunt just invoke executive privilege?

It worked for Dick Cheney on this side of the Atlantic, and all the media outlets cooperated by pretending it was perfectly all right for the vice president to have a secret meeting with energy executives, totally off the record and outside any scrutiny or auditing. I'm sure it was just the happiest of coincidences that gas prices ballooned during the Bush administration. Prices returned to (almost) normal once the administration left town.

And now nobody in the U.S. even remembers it anymore!