BSkyB affair ‘may have been illegal’

A LABOUR frontbencher yesterday claimed that a criminal offence may have been committed if News International was handed information about its BSkyB bid by Jeremy Hunt’s office.

Chris Bryant, a shadow immigration minister, said that the Prime Minister had to turn the affair over to Sir Alex Allan, his independent adviser on the ministerial code.

He said Lord Justice Leveson had made it clear he would not rule on whether Mr Hunt broke the ministerial code during his handling of the £8 billion BSkyB bid.

Mr Bryant claimed: “News International knew information about what the Secretary of State was going to say before he said it.”