Harman turns up the heat on Hunt

Shadow Culture Secretary Harriet Harman said it was not “credible” that Mr Hunt was unaware of the nature of Mr Smith’s contacts with News Corp lobbyist Frederic Michel, exposed in an explosive cache of emails published by the Leveson Inquiry into media standards on Tuesday. But Downing Street said Prime Minister David Cameron would not ask his independent adviser Sir Alex Allan to launch an inquiry into whether Mr Hunt breached the ministerial code of conduct.

Giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry, News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch denied he regarded Mr Hunt as an ally in his bid to gain full control of BSkyB.

But he said he expected Mr Hunt to be a “fairer” judge of the bid than Business Secretary Vince Cable, who was stripped of the role after being secretly recorded saying he had “declared war” on the News Corp boss.

Labour also raised questions about Mr Hunt’s suggestion the top civil servant at his Department for Culture, Media and Sport, permanent secretary Jonathan Stephens, authorised Mr Smith to be “point man” with News Corp.

Mr Stephens refused to answer questions on the affair when he appeared before the Commons Public Accounts Committee, but the department said in a statement he was “aware that Adam Smith was amongst a small number of individuals in the department who were in contact with News Corp and was content with that arrangement.

“As Adam Smith’s statement makes clear, the content and extent of his contact was done without authorisation, and were contrary to the clear requirements set out by Jeremy Hunt and the permanent secretary.”

Ms Harman said this was a “highly unusual arrangement” and she had written to Mr Stephens asking him to publish what the clear requirements were.

She said: “Yesterday Jeremy Hunt told the House that he did not know what his special advisor was doing. This is scarcely credible, particularly as it was in respect of such an important and controversial matter. But Jeremy Hunt can clarify this and put it beyond doubt by publishing the emails and texts between him and his special adviser, and I have today written to Mr Hunt challenging him to do so.”

Bernard Jenkin, Conservative chairman of the Commons Public Administration Committee, said there had been a “breakdown of good process and good governance” at the department and added his voice to calls for an investigation by Sir Alex Allan.

“It is extraordinary that any special adviser should have anything to do with a secretary of state’s quasi-judicial role in a matter such as a takeover bid,” Mr Jenkin said.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said it “beggars belief” that Mr Hunt was still in his job.

He said: “To believe that he should stay you have to believe that his special adviser was, if you like, a lone wolf, who spent six months in collusion with News Corporation, passing information that was to be announced in the House of Commons, providing information about discussions with the regulator, providing information about what opposing parties were saying.

“Why is Jeremy Hunt still in his job? Because David Cameron has questions to answer, and Jeremy Hunt is, if you like, acting as a firewall, and if he goes the questions will then move to David Cameron’s conversations with Rebekah Brooks, with James Murdoch and others.”