Report on Murdoch bid goes to Minister

Regulator ofcom said it had handed over the document, but refused to give details of the contents.

Mr Hunt will now decide whether to refer News Corporation's multibillion-pound effort to gain full ownership of the broadcaster

to the Competition Commission.

Responsibility for the case was transferred to the Culture Secretary after Business Secretary Vince Cable was recorded telling

undercover reporters that he had "declared war" on Mr Murdoch's media empire.

An ofcom spokesman said: "ofcom can confrm that it has submitted its report into the public interest considerations to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport."

News Corp, led by Murdoch, wants to buy the 61 percent of the British satellite broadcaster it does not already own for 7.8bn to consolidate a business it helped build. However, rivals and politicians have raised concerns that the merger would give Murdoch too much infuence over public opinion, given the way he has used his American tV stations to promote a right-wing political agenda. News Corp owns about a third of the newspaper market including The Times and The Sun, the country's best-selling tabloid, which supported prime Minister David Cameron during May's national parliamentary elections.

Analysts and lawyers expect ofcom to request a further investigation.