Rupert Murdoch is about to be ambushed by a cross-party group of peers determined to stop the total takeover of BSkyB by News Corp, the Mole can reveal.
While MPs were packing their holiday shorts for the beach and a long holiday until April 26, protests were raised in the House of Lords by former Times journalist and Tory peer Lord Fowler about the latest developments in the telephone hacking saga - the arrests this week of chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck, 50, and former news editor Ian Edmondson, 42, on suspicion of having unlawfully intercepted voicemail messages.
Fowler called for a public inquiry into the stop-start police investigation and the extent of telephone hacking following evidence that it is far more extensive than admitted previously by Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of News International.
As the Mole predicted when the latest arrests were made, Lord Prescott, who has been told by the Met Police his name was on the list of politicians and celebs whose phones were hacked by the NoW, has now weighed in.
Prescott called on Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, to suspend the move by News Corp to take over BSkyB because of the 'criminal' activity at News Corp papers. "It would be totally unacceptable for a company ... committing criminal acts to take total control of BSkyB," thundered the old bruiser, once nicknamed Thumper.
Murdoch may regard Prescott as a spent force, and ignore his remarks as nothing more than bluster, but the Mole hears that other, more forensic peers in the House of Lords are focusing on tax avoidance by News Corp.
The former Tory MP, now a Lib Dem peer, Lord Dykes is quietly working behind the scenes with allies to stop News Corp enhancing its media holdings in Britain until Murdoch's business empire pays more taxes in Britain.
The group includes the former Treasury minister, Lib Dem peer Lord Oakeshott.
Murdoch would be wise to treat Oakeshott with kid gloves. He has been involved in exposing the 'cash for honours' scandal under Tony Blair, the imposition of more taxes on non-doms, and policing the requirement by the Lords vetting committee that Lord Ashcroft should be taxed in Britain before taking up his peerage. He's not someone Murdoch should have as an enemy.
Many MPs believe Jeremy Hunt is also beginning to live up to James Naughtie’s famous slip of the tongue on the Today programme before Christmas. Hunt outraged many Labour MPs last month when he recommended regulatory approval for News Corp’s full takeover of BSkyB after Murdoch's promise to sell Sky News to reduce its media dominance.
With every new revelation in the hacking scandal, that decision looks more questionable and Hunt is beginning to look like the c*** Naughtie mistakenly called him. Hunt should enjoy his break. He’s promised his final verdict on the takeover when Parliament returns on April 26. If he gives his approval, he’s in for a long, hot summer.
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