Documents revealed during Jeremy Hunt’s appearance at the Leveson Inquiry have implicated George Osborne. On the day the News Corp lackey Hunt was appointed to replace Vince Cable as Media Minister, Osborne sent a text to James Murdoch saying “hope you like our solution”.
But how does Jeremy Hunt get away with it?
Hunt told the Leveson Inquiry last week that he sacked his advisor Adam Smith “with a heavy heart” — code for admitting he was instructed to throw his underling to the wolves in the hope of saving himself and his leader. But now that we have heard Hunt’s evidence it’s no wonder he was reluctant to wield the axe.
“Inappropriate contact” with News Corp while their BSkyB bid was being considered was the reason for sacking Smith. Now we know Hunt was engaging in the same kind of contact.
It was known before Hunt was appointed as Culture and Media Minister that he was a supporter ot the BSkyB bid. On top of this the latest evidence to Leveson has revealed:
• When EU regulators decided not to intervene in the takeover bid Hunt sent James Murdoch a text congratulating him and describing the news as “great, only Ofcom to go”. The next day he was appointed to adjudicate on the bid.
• After he was appointed Minister he continued to send frequent, personal and friendly messages to James Murdoch and the News Corp lobbyist, Fred Michel. Smith was sacked for excessive contact with the same man. (This was after legal advice that he should not meet News Corp informally once he was given responsibility for the bid.)
In a statement to Parliament on 25 April Hunt said he had had “zero” contact with News Corp over the BSkyB bid. This is why Labour has insisted that Parliament debate whether to refer Hunt for breaches of the ministerial code (13 June).
A number of Lib Dem MPs have indicated they will vote to refer Hunt. Labour’s case is based on a clause in the code that makes clear that ministers are responsible for the conduct of their advisers.
And another clause which states that “it is of paramount importance that ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament… Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the PM.” They want to get Hunt on his statement to Parliament he had no contact with News Corp.
Cameron quickly announced that he was satisfied with Hunt’s performance at Leveson and saw no need to take any action against him.
For sure if Hunt could be ditched without serious damage to Cameron and his government he would be toast by now. He is still in office because the Prime Minister is up to his neck in the same slavish and obsequious conduct toward the Murdoch empire.
If Hunt’s open support for News Corp made him unsuitable to assess the BSkyB bid then why did Cameron appoint him?
If “inappropriate contact” was a bad enough offence to finish an adviser why not a minister?
Hunt’s defence is that once he became the responsible minister he was able to set aside his views on the BSkyB bid and act with “scrupulous fairness” and “total integrity”. In no other field would this horseshit be accepted. For the likes of Hunt it’s fine to be on the closest personal terms with the powerful and wealthy people whose affairs he judges, to continue exchanging pleasantries with them and keep them informed.
While they savage our public services and attack our wages and conditions, cheered on by the right-wing press, they are certainly all in it together.