BRITISH PRIME minister David Cameron has backed embattled culture secretary Jeremy Hunt after the disclosure of his close links with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation as he decided on its plans to buy all of BSkyB.
Pressed in the Commons by Labour leader Ed Miliband, the prime minister said he wanted to make it “absolutely clear” that Mr Hunt – who was strongly backed by Conservative MPs on Tuesday – has “my full support for the excellent job that he does”.
The culture secretary has been helped on two fronts. Firstly, his special adviser quit, saying that the emails showed that he had gone too far in his contacts with a News Corp executive, while Mr Hunt was deciding whether to refer News Corp’s bid to regulators.
Meanwhile, Mr Justice Brian Leveson, who heads the inquiry into British press standards and the relationship between the press and politicians, said “it is very important to hear every side of the story before drawing conclusions”.
Stepping down, Mr Hunt’s special adviser Adam Smith said it had been part of his duties to keep News Corp “informed” throughout the BskyB bid process, but “the content and extent of my contact was done without authorisation” of Mr Hunt.
Although he did not “recognise” some of the descriptions of the conversations relayed to News Corp executive in Frederick Michel’s emails, he accepted that “taken together” they had created the perception that News Corporation had “too close a relationship”.
However, Mr Smith insisted that the final decisions taken by Mr Hunt on the bid were “scrupulously fair” and had not been influenced by News Corp’s clear desire to win full control over the highly-profitable satellite broadcaster.
Under the rules, Mr Hunt was supposed to act in a quasi-judicial manner when acting on the bid, although, in the end, he was saved a difficult choice when News Corp withdrew it following the News of the World phone-hacking scandal.
“He sought independent advice from independent regulators at every stage, although he did not need to, and he took that independent advice at every stage, although he did not need to,” declared the prime minister.
Normally, Mr Smith’s emails should have immediately triggered Mr Hunt’s resignation because the British ministerial code makes it clear that responsibility for “the management and conduct of special advisers . . . rests with the minister who made the appointment”.
However, there is clear concern that a cabinet resignation now, coming on the back of the government’s worst month in office, could destabilise the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.
Defending his position before MPs, Mr Hunt said “the volume and tone” of emails between Mr Smith and Mr Michel were “clearly not appropriate in a quasi-judicial process”, but his adviser had not acted with improper motives.
“I believe that he did so unintentionally and did not believe he was doing anything more than giving advice on process. I believe he is an individual of decency and integrity and his resignation is a matter of huge regret,” he said.
Mr Hunt was supported by Mr Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, who sat alongside throughout his questions, a crucial and carefully-noted declaration of support under long-established Commons etiquette in crises.
Ironically, Mr Hunt, who clearly favoured News Corp’s bid judging by his own private texts, only got the culture post after his predecessor, Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, quit once it was shown that he was biased against the bid.
Mr Michel has been accused by the Conservatives of exaggerating his influence with Mr Hunt in order to boost his reputation in News Corp.
