Politicians blast Sky bid after sex scandal at Fox

Ofcom is urged to block £11.7bn deal in letter seen by the MoS

RUPERT Murdoch-owned 21st Century Fox’s plan to take over Sky faces high-powered political opposition after Ed Miliband, Sir Vince Cable and Lord Falconer wrote to the regulator urging it to block the deal following the sacking of Fox News star Bill O’Reilly after a sexual harassment scandal.

Former Labour leader Miliband, ex-Business Secretary Cable and ex-Lord Chancellor Falconer wrote on Friday to Ofcom chief executive Sharon White and chairwoman Dame Patricia Hodgson, who are conducting a test on whether Sky would remain a ‘fit and proper’ holder of a broadcast licence if the takeover succeeded.

The letter, seen by The Mail on Sunday, highlights the departure of O’Reilly from Fox News, owned by 21st Century Fox, in the US amid a slew of sexual harassment claims.

‘This is prima facie evidence of, at the very least, totally inadequate corporate standards, allowing people who have faced a series of sexual harassment cases against them – and settled them – to remain at the top of their organisation without, apparently, proper investigation or disciplinary action,’ the letter states.

21st Century Fox is chaired by Murdoch, while his son James is chief executive and also chairman of Sky. Fox has offered £11.7billion to buy the 61 per cent of Sky it does not own.

O’Reilly was fired following an independent investigation after reports that five women were paid $13million (£10.1million) by Fox to keep quiet about sexual harassment claims stretching back more than a decade. O’Reilly, who called the claims ‘completely unfounded’, quit with a $25million payout.

Miliband, Cable and Falconer previously wrote to Ofcom highlighting the departure of Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, who quit with a $40million pay-off last summer amid allegations, denied by Ailes, that he sexually harassed a number of subordinates.

In their new letter they say this represents a pattern of behaviour that raises ‘very serious questions of fitness and propriety’ and compare it to the phone-hacking scandal that affected Murdoch’s News International.

‘The ongoing pattern of behaviour at Fox

suggests yet again that the Murdochs have learnt nothing... the same pattern of behaviour by the Murdochs that we saw at News International has been repeated: a failure of corporate stewardship which means apparently inappropriate behaviour is allowed over a long period... no reasonable Ofcom could conclude that the Murdochs were fit and proper to take full control of Sky.’

21st Century Fox said: ‘21st Century Fox takes its regulatory and compliance obligations very seriously. We have a strong record of compliance in all our markets, including in the UK.’