British ministers face scrutiny over News Corp links

MINISTERS in Britain’s coalition government, criticised for being too close to Rupert Murdoch’s scandal-hit News Corp, face more scrutiny this week when details of their meetings with the company’s executives are published.

News Corp executive James Murdoch is also under pressure over his handling of a phone-hacking scandal that has hit the Murdoch family’s media empire and could jeopardise his own position at the company.

British police are considering a request from opposition Labour politician Tom Watson to investigate claims that the 38-year-old son of News Corp head Rupert Murdoch gave “mistaken” testimony to a parliamentary hearing last week.

Another Labour lawmaker, Chris Bryant, has written to News Corp’s independent directors calling on them to suspend both James and his 80-year-old father for failing to exercise proper corporate control.

The scandal, centred on the now defunct News of the World newspaper, has led to the resignation of senior executives at News Corp and also cost two of London’s top policemen their jobs after they were accused of getting too close to the company.

Prime Minister David Cameron also faced the worst crisis of his 15 months in charge, his judgment questioned after he hired former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as his communications chief.

Finance minister George Osborne yesterday echoed Cameron’s regret over the appointment of Coulson, who quit his government post in January and was arrested earlier this month.

“Knowing what we know now, we regret the decision (to hire Coulson) and I suspect Andy Coulson wouldn’t have taken the job knowing what he knows now as well,” Osborne told reporters after meeting his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee.

The government will publish details of ministerial meetings with News Corp executives, seeking to dispel claims that the company was wielding undue influence when the government was deciding on its bid for full control of pay TV company BSkyB.

“When it comes to my meetings with the proprietors and editors of all newspapers, we are very shortly going to publish the details of my meetings and the meetings of other members of the government,” Osborne added. Cameron has already given details of his own such meetings.