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30 January 2013

Who are the other two cabinet ministers who dined with Murdoch?

Jeremy Hunt has "never been to Rupert Murdoch's house", says a spokeswoman, but what about Michael Gove?

By George Eaton

Even with his company under criminal investigation, politicians continue to pay fealty to Rupert Murdoch. Boris Johnson and George Osborne were recently revealed to have attended a private dinner at the media mogul’s apartment in Mayfair. A spokesman for Osborne said: “We are happy to confirm he attended the dinner. It will be declared in the usual way”.

Intriguingly, the Evening Standard reported yesterday that “Murdoch gave another dinner in his Green Park flat” at which two unnamed cabinet ministers were present. So who were they? Suspicion alighted on Michael Gove, a former Times journalist, who has met Murdoch more times than any other cabinet minister, and Jeremy Hunt, who enjoyed famously warm relations with News Corp during the BSkyB bid. We’ve yet to hear back from Gove’s office but asked whether Hunt attended the dinner a spokeswoman for the Health Secretary said:

“No, Jeremy’s never been to Rupert Murdoch’s house.”

The hunt continues. 

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