Jeremy Hunt to Disclose Emails & Texts

LONDON: The U.K.’s culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has agreed to disclose all private text messages and emails that were exchanged with his special adviser in regard to News Corp.’s BSkyB takeover.

Hunt is giving the materials to the media ethics inquiry led by Lord Justice Brian Levenson. The claim is that information was leaked during the time of the decision of whether or not News Corp. would be allowed to take full control of BSkyB.

Hunt’s adviser, Adam Smith, resigned on Wednesday over what he admitted was an inappropriately close relationship with News Corp. during its planned takeover of the satellite broadcaster. Hunt is standing firm that he did not know about the extent, or tone, of the contact between the two. "I will be handing over all my private texts and emails to my special adviser to the Leveson Inquiry and I am confident that they will vindicate the position that I handled the BSkyB merger process with total integrity," he told reporters outside of his London home.