Alex Salmond has failed to explain the benefits to the Scottish economy of him being the world’s only political leader still enjoying a close relationship with Rupert Murdoch.
The First Minister insisted he agreed to lobby the Government to wave through News Corp’s takeover of BSkyB because it would have resulted in more Scottish jobs but, when challenged, could not say why or how many.
The First Minister insisted he agreed to lobby the Government to wave through News Corp’s takeover of BSkyB because it would have resulted in more Scottish jobs but, when challenged, could not say why or how many.
Johann Lamont, the Scottish Labour leader, said Mr Salmond was using the economy as an “alibi” for courting the media mogul, the real motivation of which she said was to win Mr Murdoch’s backing for the SNP.
She questioned why he kept his support for the takeover secret until emails to James Murdoch emerged this week showing the First Minister offered to lobby Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, and Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary.
More documents published by the Leveson Inquiry yesterday showed a “cup of tea” he claimed to have with Mr Murdoch in February at his official residence was a lunch that also included Frederic Michel, the News Corp lobbyist who oversaw the push for the BSkyB deal.
Mr Salmond had dismissed the inquiry’s first publications on Tuesday as “chatter” and only the following day started to claim that he had agreed to lobby on behalf of the Murdochs because of the potential benefits to the Scottish economy.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9229786/Alex-Salmonds-reason-for-lobbying-Jeremy-Hunt-unravels.html
In highly-charged exchanges at Holyrood yesterday, Mrs Lamont said Mr Salmond had “finally alighted” on an explanation for his actions and challenged him to specify how many jobs James Murdoch had promised if takeover had proceeded.
Mr Salmond highlighted a Scottish firm that won a BSkyB contract, creating up to 900 jobs, but this was awarded despite News Corp’s bid being withdrawn in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.
He said he dropped his support for the deal after it emerged in July last year that the News of the World had hacked a mobile phone belonging to murder victim Milly Dowler.
But Mrs Lamont said Mr Salmond had continued to court Rupert Murdoch after this date, inviting him to Bute House in Edinburgh and writing an article for the inaugural edition of the Scottish Sun on Sunday.
“After that devastating revelation, the First Minister became the only senior politician in this country, perhaps in the world, to invite him for tea,” she said to rowdy applause from the opposition benches.
“His newspapers might be being investigated for bribery, perverting the course of justice, destroying evidence and perjury but Rupert is still welcome at Wee Eck’s house as he writes an article saying it wasn’t just News International.
“Three police investigations are going on and a judicial inquiry and nearly 50 arrests but Eck still puts the kettle on for Rupert.”
The Leveson Inquiry was shown an extraordinary email on Tuesday, sent to James Murdoch by his chief lobbyist, which said Mr Salmond was willing to contact Mr Hunt to lobby for the BSkyB takeover “whenever” News Corp asked him.
Another message sent to the organisation’s former chief executive in March last year said the Scottish Sun “is now keen to back the SNP” at the Holyrood election two months later and the First Minister would back the BSkyB bid.
Mr Salmond’s call to lobby Mr Hunt was scheduled for March 3 last year but never took place because the same day the Culture Secretary told the Commons that day that he was minded to waive the deal through.
Rupert Murdoch told the inquiry he personally approved the Scottish Sun’s decision to back the SNP before the election, but Mr Salmond has maintained there was no “quid pro quo” over his willingness to lobby.
Mr Salmond yesterday continued to argue the takeover would benefit the economy, telling MSPs: “The job of a First Minister is to advocate jobs for Scotland. This First Minister will continue to do it.”
He said BSkyB employs more than 6,000 people in Scotland and “major job losses” were avoided last year. However, the jobs were also saved despite the takeover not proceeding.
Ruth Davidson, his Scottish Tory counterpart, added: “We see the evidence of the favourable newspaper coverage Alex Salmond received after he offered his lobbying service to Murdoch, but the First Minister is asking us just to take his word that he really did the deal for jobs – despite failing to provide any proof.”
Mr Salmond highlighted a Scottish firm that won a BSkyB contract, creating up to 900 jobs, but this was awarded despite News Corp’s bid being withdrawn in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.
He said he dropped his support for the deal after it emerged in July last year that the News of the World had hacked a mobile phone belonging to murder victim Milly Dowler.
But Mrs Lamont said Mr Salmond had continued to court Rupert Murdoch after this date, inviting him to Bute House in Edinburgh and writing an article for the inaugural edition of the Scottish Sun on Sunday.
“After that devastating revelation, the First Minister became the only senior politician in this country, perhaps in the world, to invite him for tea,” she said to rowdy applause from the opposition benches.
“His newspapers might be being investigated for bribery, perverting the course of justice, destroying evidence and perjury but Rupert is still welcome at Wee Eck’s house as he writes an article saying it wasn’t just News International.
“Three police investigations are going on and a judicial inquiry and nearly 50 arrests but Eck still puts the kettle on for Rupert.”
The Leveson Inquiry was shown an extraordinary email on Tuesday, sent to James Murdoch by his chief lobbyist, which said Mr Salmond was willing to contact Mr Hunt to lobby for the BSkyB takeover “whenever” News Corp asked him.
Another message sent to the organisation’s former chief executive in March last year said the Scottish Sun “is now keen to back the SNP” at the Holyrood election two months later and the First Minister would back the BSkyB bid.
Mr Salmond’s call to lobby Mr Hunt was scheduled for March 3 last year but never took place because the same day the Culture Secretary told the Commons that day that he was minded to waive the deal through.
Rupert Murdoch told the inquiry he personally approved the Scottish Sun’s decision to back the SNP before the election, but Mr Salmond has maintained there was no “quid pro quo” over his willingness to lobby.
Mr Salmond yesterday continued to argue the takeover would benefit the economy, telling MSPs: “The job of a First Minister is to advocate jobs for Scotland. This First Minister will continue to do it.”
He said BSkyB employs more than 6,000 people in Scotland and “major job losses” were avoided last year. However, the jobs were also saved despite the takeover not proceeding.
Ruth Davidson, his Scottish Tory counterpart, added: “We see the evidence of the favourable newspaper coverage Alex Salmond received after he offered his lobbying service to Murdoch, but the First Minister is asking us just to take his word that he really did the deal for jobs – despite failing to provide any proof.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9229786/Alex-Salmonds-reason-for-lobbying-Jeremy-Hunt-unravels.html
