The UK government has announced that Rupert Murdoch will finally get his chance to buy out the rest of European cable company Sky as long as the media mogul sells the 24-hour news channel Sky News.

Murdoch has been trying to complete a Sky takeover for many years but has faced significant obstacles, including long-running regulatory fights, public outrage over phone hacking, and stiff political opposition from the targets of his newspapers.



On Monday, the government said it agreed with regulators that Sky News should be "divested" from the Murdochs in order to protect its editorial integrity.



"I need to be confident that the final undertakings ensure that Sky News remains: financially viable over the long-term … is able to operate as a major UK-based news provider … and is able to take its editorial decisions independently, free from any potential outside influence," said culture secretary Matt Hancock.



"I have asked my officials to begin immediate discussions with the parties to finalise the details with a view to agreeing an acceptable form of the remedy, so we can all be confident Sky News can be divested in a way that works for the long term."