Murdoch plays down political pull as Hunt aide resigns

AFP/London

A member of the protest group Avaaz dresses as Rupert Murdoch as he holds puppets depicting Prime Minister David Cameron (left) and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt during a demonstration outside the High Court in central London yesterday

Rupert Murdoch yesterday denied he had exerted a decades-long stranglehold over British politics as he finally testified at an inquiry sparked by the misdeeds of his media empire.His evidence came as an adviser to a government minister was forced to resign over allegations of leaking details to Murdoch’s US-based News Corporation as it tried to take full control of pay-TV giant BSkyB. But 81-year-old Murdoch turned in a flinty performance at the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics, hitting out at “lies” that he used his ties to a succession of British leaders for commercial gain.“I’ve never asked a prime minister for anything,” he told the inquiry in London, which was set up last year in response to the phone-hacking scandal at Murdoch’s now-defunct News of the World newspaper.“It is a complete myth that I used the influence of The Sun (his market-leading British tabloid) or its supposed political power to get favourable treatment.” The Australian-born tycoon also denied discussing the controversial BSkyB deal with current prime minister David Cameron, and rejected rumours he was unhappy with Cameron for setting up the judge-led inquiry into the press.As Murdoch spoke, Adam Smith, a special adviser to Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt, resigned over claims that he leaked details to News Corporation about the government’s view of its bid to take full control of BSkyB. Texts and e-mails from him to News Corporation executive Frederic Michel emerged during evidence given during Murdoch’s son James on Tuesday, in which Smith apparently gave confidential details and said that Hunt backed the deal.Hunt - who had the responsibility for the decision about whether the BSkyB takeover should be allowed to go ahead - rejected calls from the opposition to resign.“This is not the time to jump on a political bandwagon. I have strictly followed due process throughout,” Hunt said in a statement to lawmakers during a stormy session of parliament.Cameron told parliament that Hunt, who also has responsibility for the 2012 London Olympics, had his “full support”. But he added that “hand on heart, we all did too much cosying up to Rupert Murdoch, I’m sure we’ll agree.”At the inquiry, Murdoch rejected suggestions that he had used his ties to Cameron and previous prime ministers Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to boost his media empire. “I think you are making sinister inferences,” he told counsel for the inquiry Robert Jay when asked about his ties to former Labour premier Blair, who is godfather to one of Murdoch’s daughters. Murdoch said he had met Cameron several times, including once on his daughter’s yacht, and was “impressed” with him initially, but denied they had discussed BSkyB or British regulators. He boasted of his global reach by saying that he enjoyed meeting world leaders and “some impress me more than others.”Allegations laughable, claims ministerThe minister accused of giving Rupert Murdoch special access during the media tycoon’s bid to increase his hold on Britain’s television industry labelled accusations against him as “laughable”. Jeremy Hunt, the culture minister who was last year tasked with reviewing Murdoch’s $12bn plan to boost his stake in British pay TV operator BSkyB, is under immense pressure to resign after allegations emerged of his close contacts with Murdoch’s News Corporation media empire. “The idea I was backing this bid is laughable,” a visibly flustered Hunt told parliament to roars of approval from his own Conservative Party and jeers of derision from the opposition Labour party, which has led calls for him to be sacked. Media pundits have portrayed the bombshell dropped by James on Tuesday as more evidence that his father is on the warpath after being vilified by Britain’s once-fawning political establishment since allegations of phone hacking at Murdoch’s newspapers turned the octogenarian’s patronage toxic.