Murdoch execs lobbied Tory government over foreign media ownership law

EXCLUSIVE: The media baron’s top sidekicks demanded a summit with the Sunak administration.

Rupert Murdoch’s most senior UK executives held an emergency meeting with Rishi Sunak’s government last April over proposed changes to rules over foreign ownership of UK media.

Through a Freedom of Information request, I obtained a briefing note sent to the Conservative government’s media secretary Lucy Frazer before the meeting. This note contained the issues expected to be raised by Murdoch’s head honchos.

Notably, this included concerns about a new law that proposed limiting the ability of foreign state entities from owning British newspapers.

The briefing note stated that Murdoch’s UK policy officials had already discussed the proposed law with the government before this 3 April meeting and had requested a follow-up summit with Frazer and her top advisors. The government dutifully obliged.

According to the briefing note, Murdoch’s executives – who included News Corp CEO Robert Thompson and News UK CEO Rebekah Brooks – “had questions” about the 5% cap on foreign state ownership set to be applied to British newspapers.

In other words, the government expected once again to be lobbied by Thompson and Brooks over whether foreign state entities should be only be allowed to own a small stake in UK media outlets.

The government’s briefing note speculated that the execs “may wish to clarify the scope of the new legislation [and] confirm that this does not ban all foreign ownership” of UK media.

The new law was proposed by the Conservative government following an attempt in 2023 by the United Arab Emirates to buy The Telegraph newspaper – a bid that was ultimately blocked by Frazer.

A general election was called a month after the 3 April meeting, and the proposed media ownership changes were temporarily shelved.

It was reported following the election (won by a Labour Party backed by Murdoch’s media outlets) that the government was considering lifting the foreign state ownership cap from 5% to 10%, if and when the legislation is passed.

Murdoch, who was born in Australia, has been an influential media mogul in Britain for decades, currently owning The Times and Sun newspapers as well as TalkTV and TalkRadio. His publications have been accused of promoting a radical right-wing agenda in the UK (and abroad), while Murdoch himself has attempted to cultivate close personal relationships with successive prime ministers.

As journalist Anthony Hilton said in February 2016:

I once asked Rupert Murdoch why he was so opposed to the European Union. “That’s easy,” he replied. “When I go into Downing Street they do what I say; when I go to Brussels they take no notice.”

Indeed, it’s significant that the government handed over this briefing note. As I have reported previously, it has been virtually impossible to secure readouts from the regular meetings between Murdoch, his executives, and senior government ministers.

Murdoch himself wouldn’t be directly affected by the foreign ownership rules proposed by the government, since he’s a private citizen rather than a state entity. However, a low threshold would stop his newspapers from securing significant investments from foreign governments, such as those in the Middle East, which have piled millions into UK firms over recent years.

The global press baron may also be concerned about the prospective law helping to generate a backlash against all forms of foreign ownership of the UK press.

Interestingly, I also asked the government to provide the minutes and the briefing notes associated with a meeting held a month later, on 22 May, between Lucy Frazer and Daily Mail owner Lord Rothermere (who is domiciled in France).

In more typical fashion, the government refused.

Become a paid subscriber and get your hands on the Murdoch briefing note

I’ll send the full briefing note to paid subscribers, which also includes information on the attitudes of the Murdoch media empire towards big tech…

Why subscribe?

I’m an investigative journalist and current affairs writer who has worked with the New York Times, the Guardian, the Mirror, the New European, Novara Media, New Statesman, Led By Donkeys, and others.

I specialise in exposing dark money and radical right-wing ecosystems, and I’m probably best known for my stories revealing the billions in PPE contracts awarded to Tory friends and donors during the pandemic. I was the first journalist to expose the £100 million+ contracts awarded to Michelle Mone’s firm, PPE Medpro.

I’m listed by Carol Vorderman as a person to follow in her latest book, Now What?

Trump, Musk and Farage are on the march – followed closely by Badenoch and an increasingly radicalised Conservative Party. Investigative journalism exposing their funding sources, their plans, and their networks has never been more important.

Please subscribe and help me to continue this vital work.