Concessions to Murdoch over BSkyB draws media ire

Only a month after UK's business secretary, Vince Cable saying he had ''declared a war'' on News Corporation and had already "blocked" its £7.8-billion bid to buy the 60 per cent of BSkyB it does not already own, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt seems to have different ideas.

Hunt was parachuted to take the decision instead of Cable, and he seems to be willing to bend over backwards to accommodate Rupert Murdoch, according to politically analysts.

They point out that in a rather unusual statement, Hunt says that though he was minded to refer News Corp bid to the Competition Commission, he was giving Murdoch one last chance.

Detailing the meetings he had had in the past couple of week with James, Murdoch's son who heads News Corp's European operations, as also BSkyB and Ofcom, he said after his 20 January meeting with News Corp, he intended to still refer the matter to the Commission as the ''merger may operate against the public interest in media plurality''.

However he said on Tuesday: "News Corporation says that it wishes me to consider undertakings in lieu which it contends it could sufficiently alleviate the concerns I have... It is appropriate for me to consider such undertakings."

His statement has drawn some caustic remarks about Murdoch's influence over the administration.