PoliticsJOE Podcast

Chris Huhne, the former Lib Dem energy secretary, made headlines when he settled a phone hacking allegation against News UK for a six-figure sum.

Huhne alleges that executives at the corporation authorised the hacking of his phone to facilitate Rupert Murdoch's attempted purchase of BSkyB.

Ed sat down with Chris to discuss the trial, Rupert Murdoch, and the state of the British media.

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Responding to the statement, a spokesperson for News UK told the Guardian that Chris Huhne had made “serious allegations which are denied”.

They said: “Mr Huhne had the right to go to trial but chose to negotiate a financial settlement and to settle his legal action rather than have these allegations tested at trial. It is strongly denied that there was any corporate motive or direction to obtain information unlawfully. Huhne was a senior politician and stories published were legitimate and in the public interest.”

A spokesperson for News Group Newspapers (NGN), part of News UK, told the Guardian that it had made an “unreserved apology” to victims of voicemail interception by the News of the World and paid damages to those with “proper claims” since.

They said: “As we reach the tail end of litigation, NGN is drawing a line under disputed matters, some of which date back [to] more than 20 years ago. In some cases it has made commercial sense for both parties to come to a settlement agreement before trial to bring a resolution to the matter.”

News UK does not accept any liability or make any admissions to claims regarding the Sun for these or any future claims.

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