In a series of disclosures on by far the most dramatic day so far of the Leveson Inquiry, the Cabinet Minister’s key political adviser was revealed to have given apparently confidential information on a regular basis over several months to a lobbyist working for James Murdoch reports The Telegraph.
At the time, Mr Hunt was acting in a “quasi-judicial” role charged with ruling on whether News Corporation could take over BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster.
In public, the Culture Secretary insisted that he was acting in an independent and impartial manner, but the release of the emails has led to allegations that he was privately colluding with the Murdoch family.
The emails were published on Tuesday as James Murdoch gave evidence at the inquiry.
The Prime Minister — who now faces the spectre of renewed accusations of Tory sleaze — is expected to come under intense pressure today to explain whether there was any conflict between his relationship with Mr Murdoch and the behaviour of Mr Hunt’s department.
