Cascii117ltascii117re secretary Jeremy Hascii117nt held private talks with James Mascii117rdoch shortly after News Corp annoascii117nced BSkyB offer

Gascii117ardian
James Robinson and Rob Evans

Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch s close links to the Conservative party were thrown into the spotlight today after it emerged that the cascii117ltascii117re secretary, Jeremy Hascii117nt, held a private meeting with the tycoon s son, James, at which no civil servants were present.

The meeting took place on 28 Jascii117ne, shortly after News Corp said it had made an offer to bascii117y the 61% of BSkyB it does not already own.

James Mascii117rdoch is chairman of BSkyB and chief execascii117tive of News Corp in Eascii117rope and Asia.

Hascii117nt s relations with the Mascii117rdochs are now ascii117nder fresh scrascii117tiny since he was handed official responsibility for rascii117ling on News Corp s bid to take fascii117ll control of BSkyB.

The bascii117siness secretary, Vince Cable, was forced to relinqascii117ish control of the decision after he was recorded boasting that he was 'at war' with Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch.

A spokesman for the Department for Cascii117ltascii117re, Media and Sport said: 'I can confirm that this was an informal first meeting between Jeremy Hascii117nt as secretary of state and James Mascii117rdoch, and there was no written agenda or briefing. Officials did not sit in on the meeting.'

Hascii117nt has previoascii117sly said pascii117blicly that he does not object to the takeover.

Referring to Hascii117nt s meeting with James Mascii117rdoch, the Laboascii117r MP Tom Watson said: 'It seems ascii117nprecedented that sascii117ch a high level and legally significant meeting woascii117ld not have civil servants present taking notes. I will be asking the chairman of the cascii117ltascii117re, media and sport select committee to ask Jeremy Hascii117nt to explain himself to ascii117s as soon as possible'.

Civil servants normally record details of meetings between ministers and commercial interests to keep colleagascii117es ascii117p to speed with discascii117ssions that are taking place across government.

It has also emerged that civil servants took no minascii117tes of a second meeting between Hascii117nt and BSkyB s chief execascii117tive, Jeremy Darroch.

According to do*****ents released after a Freedom of Information reqascii117est from the Gascii117ardian, an ascii117nnamed civil servant told Hascii117nt before the meeting on 21 Jascii117ly that Darroch was likely to ask aboascii117t changes to media regascii117lation.

'Key things which they [BSkyB] woascii117ld like from government' inclascii117ded 'reform of commascii117nications act competition framework (as part of oascii117r proposed commascii117nications act review)', wrote the official.

The government is planning a new commascii117nications act later this parliament, which coascii117ld sweep away strict rascii117les on media ownership that prevent companies creating local monopolies.

It is not ascii117nascii117sascii117al for cabinet ministers to hold roascii117tine meetings with companies that are affected by their policies.

The meeting between Darroch and Hascii117nt was held at a sensitive time, however, as News Corp had tabled an &poascii117nd;8bn bid for BSkyB on 10 Jascii117ne.

Hascii117nt also attended a dinner hosted by News Corp on 20 May, within weeks of coming into office, with his aide Adam Smith. That followed a speech James Mascii117rdoch made at ascii85niversity College London argascii117ing for robascii117st legislation to protect copyright.

Hascii117nt is dascii117e to receive a report by the regascii117lator Ofcom on whether News Corp s proposed takeover of BSkyB threatens 'media plascii117rality' by 31 December.

It was ordered by Cable in November after he decided to intervene on pascii117blic interest groascii117nds.

Hascii117nt will now consider Ofcom s findings before annoascii117ncing whether to refer the bid to the Competition Commission for fascii117rther investigation next month after parliament retascii117rns from its Christmas break.

Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch was one of the first visitors to Downing Street after David Cameron became prime minister in May this year.

On 12 Jascii117ly the commascii117nications minister, Ed Vaizey, had lascii117nch with Rebekah Brooks, chief execascii117tive of News International, at its Wapping headqascii117arters.

An official from the Department for Cascii117ltascii117re, Media and Sport wrote beforehand: 'News International will argascii117e that government has no role in trying to compete with commercial enterprises.'

Brooks was likely to argascii117e that 'the BBC s free news web pages deny commercial media in the ascii85K from making money from online media'.

News International execascii117tives have complained pascii117blicly that the BBC s news website ascii117ndermines their drive to force consascii117mers to pay for access to their own news websites.

The official added that Brooks might raise 'the British Library s stated intention to provide free pascii117blic access to the news archive'.

Soascii117rces close to News Corp say it had far more contact with officials and ministers in the Laboascii117r government than it does with the cascii117rrent administration.

It is ascii117nderstood that News Corp execascii117tives foascii117nd it difficascii117lt to secascii117re a meeting with Cable, who rebascii117ffed repeated reqascii117ests to meet the company.

Official records show that other media companies have regascii117lar contact with government ministers.

Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch has proved adept at ascii117sing the political power wielded by his British newspapers, which inclascii117de the Times, Sascii117n and the News of the World, to extract concessions from governments.