Prime Minister David Cameron is standing by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt notwithstanding Labour’s consistent allegation that Hunt has broken the ministerial code and misled parliament. Cameron decided not to order an investigation into Hunt’s handling of the News Corporation bid for BSkyB. Hunt therefore held onto his post. A Downing Street spokesman said: “Jeremy Hunt’s evidence has shown that he acted properly while he was responsible for the BSkyB bid….

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt sent a message to James Murdoch favouring News Corporation’s bid for BSkyB, defying legal advice not to have any external discussions about the deal. Evidence revealed at the Leveson inquiry shows on December 21, Hunt sent a text message to Murdoch, the boss of News Corporation, saying “Great and congrats on Brussels, just Ofcom to go!”. This refers to the bid’s successful clearance from the European…

Former News of the World editor and PM’s former communications chief, Andy Coulson, has been detained by Strathclyde Police on suspicion of committing perjury at the trial of former MSP Tommy Sheridan in 2010. The 44-year-old was arrested by seven officers from Strathclyde Police at his home in the Dulwich area of London at 6.30 am and is being taken to Glasgow for questioning. “Officers from Strathclyde Police’s Operation Rubicon team detained a 44-year-old man…

As Tony Blair gave evidence at the Leveson inquiry today, a protester appeared behind Lord Justice Leveson at the High Court and accused the former prime minister of being a “war criminal”. The unidentified man stormed in Lord Justice Leveson’s private office and accused Tony Blair of receiving £6 million from investment bank JP Morgan, which he linked to the Iraq War that defined his premiership. “This man should be arrested for war crimes. JP Morgan paid him off…

Tony Blair’s links with Rupert Murdoch and his media empire during his tenure as British prime minister will come under investigation when the Labour politician appears at the Leveson inquiry today. The inquiry has so far stressed on the close ties between Murdoch’s empire and serving ministers, helping opposition leader Ed Miliband consolidate his position with attacks on David Cameron. However, questioning Blair could foil Miliband’s attempt to portray Labour as a party above…

  David Cameron was hauled to the House of Commons on Monday to explain why he refused to open a separate government investigation to inquire into whether or not Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt broke ministerial rules over the BSkyB takeover bid. Ed Miliband’s call for the Prime Minister to be dragged back to London from a regional tour to answer questions on why he refused to call a Whitehall inquiry…

Amidst pressure for a separate investigation into his conduct, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said today he is ready to hand over text messages and emails he shared with his special adviser Adam Smith over the Sky takeover bid to a press ethics inquiry. “I will be handing over all my private texts and emails to my special adviser to the Leveson Inquiry and I am confident that they will vindicate…

Ofcom today launched an investigation into Sky News, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s British Sky Broadcasting, after the channel admitted hacking the emails of criminals to generate a story. The Office of Communications investigation came after Sky, earlier this month, admitted that it accessed the accounts of “canoe man” John Darwin and his wife Anne, along with that of a suspected paedophile. “We stand by these actions as editorially justified and…

Just a day after the launch of the Sunday edition of The Sun, leveson inquiry produces hard evidence of massive corruption at the tabloid, suggesting that its scribes routinely indulged in unlawful practices and bribe public officials. According to the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sue Akers, the corruption is deeply-rooted into British public life and involves virtually all arms of the government and the civic authorities. People…