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Nick Robinson
Political editor
Can Hunt survive?
"Now is not the time for knee-jerk reactions," Jeremy Hunt said tonight. They are the words of a cabinet minister fighting to save his job - and who, for now, has the prime minister's backing.
Given that the hacking scandal and its fallout has already claimed the scalps of Andy Coulson, Rebekah Brooks, many lesser-known Murdoch untouchables and the News of the World, Mr Hunt would be unwise to assume that he can now escape.
The case against him is clear. It is that whilst publicly insisting that he was dealing with an £8 billion-deal in a quasi-judicial way, his office was privately giving advanced and privileged information to James Murdoch and News Corp. The emails released today to the Leveson Inquiry show repeated examples of News Corp having information before the public, the markets and Parliament. This, Labour claim, was a breach of proper process and of Parliamentary rules.
The case for his defence is that the information published today was one-sided and inaccurate - the News Corp official whose emails referred to JH, Jeremy and "Hunt" now admits he never spoke directly to the minister about the bid. The permanent secretary at the Culture Department agreed that the minister's adviser could keep the company informed. And, crucially, the communication did not materially affect the bid - which was handled properly, and following independent advice - in any way.
Government insiders know that the emails revealed today look and smell bad, but they are hoping that when Jeremy Hunt gets his day in court he will persuade Lord Justice Leveson that they were not improper.
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Comment number 1.
Up2snuff25th April 2012 - 8:57
In appointing Hunt, did Dave ask the normal "Is there anything I should know?". Was he vetted by the Cabinet Sec?
Badly handled party management - that's political party, not dinner party - but I guess that applies, too.
Dave is a liability and he has to go by early 2013 at the latest. But who will replace him?
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Comment number 2.
Ken T25th April 2012 - 8:59
Oh dear, I rather suspect that the public have already decided what Mr Hunt was up to & Lord Levisons opinion may not matter that much. Time to clear the desk.
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Comment number 3.
sagamix25th April 2012 - 9:12
The issue here - yet again - is David Cameron:
Why appoint a paid up member of the Murdoch fan club to preside over the Sky deal?
Two possibles:
1. Incompetence and poor judgement (didn't see the problem).
2. Sloppy ethics (wanted to help his mates win the bid).
I incline towards (1) but wouldn't rule out (2).
Link to this (Comment number 3)
Comment number 4.
Actionr25th April 2012 - 9:15
The past/present (and the future) of politics (and the Conservatives in this case) seems intertvwined with the fate of the NewsCorp.
The more this investigation continues the more it seems that this is not just a case about one issue but a really close relationship between two.
Not sure how the conservatives can defend Hunt.
The PM is in no position to defend Hunt and should justify his actions..
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Comment number 5.
Steve_M-H25th April 2012 - 9:30
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comments 5 of 33