Former Labour leader argues in parliament that nothing has changed since tycoon’s last attempted takeover five years ago

Ed Miliband has urged the government to block Rupert Murdoch’s bid for the whole of Sky in an impassioned speech to MPs, arguing that the media and political landscape had not changed since his previous takeover attempt failed five years ago.

The former Labour leader said that the latest £11.2bn bid by Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox “shows the Murdochs have learned nothing and think they can get away with anything”. Rupert’s son James is chief executive of 21st Century Fox and chairman of Sky.

In July 2011, when Milband led Labour, a previous Murdoch bid for Sky was withdrawn at the height of the phone-hacking scandal. Politicians of all parties indicated they would support a resolution against it going ahead.

Miliband said nothing material had changed since the previous bid: “In even launching this, the Murdochs are seeking to turn the judgment of this house, regulator and the government on its head. If it was wrong for them to own the whole thing in 2012, it is wrong today.”

In the ensuing debate, several Labour MPs said the bid must be delayed until after part 2 of the Leveson inquiry, which is looking into allegations of corruption in the relationship between the press and the police.

“Can this bid even be in the realms of reality when part 2 has not taken place?” he asked, pointing out that the inquiry into corporate governance and management failures at News International was only delayed because of the ongoing criminal investigations.

In the wake of the hacking scandal, Murdoch’s then principal company, News Corp decided to split its television and film business from its publishing and newspaper assets. James Murdoch, head of the UK newspaper arm during the scandal, is now chief executive of 21st Century Fox, which owns 39% of Sky, where he is also chairman. The Murdochs own 39% of both Fox and News Corp.



The culture secretary, Karen Bradley, said her “quasi judicial” role in the takeover meant she could make no comment on the process or whether she would refer it to media and competition authorities until after it had been officially tabled.



Miliband, the MP for Doncaster North, sought reassurance that the bid would not be passed before parliament returned after its Christmas recess on 9 January.

“We all said in 2011 that never again would we allow the Murdochs to wield unfettered power,” he said, urging Theresa May to stand by her pledge to speak up for the powerless, which she made in her first speech as prime minister. “If ever there was a chance to prove it, it is today.”

In 2011, Miliband demanded the breakup of Murdoch’s UK media empire, arguing that he had “too much power over British public life” even after News International abandoned its bid for Sky and closed the News of the World.