On the steps of Downing Street when she became Prime Minister, Theresa May said: “When we take the big calls we’ll think not of the powerful, but you.”

Her words were powerful. They spoke to people’s sense that our country is far too often run for big business and the wealthiest and they were an implicit rebuke to David Cameron’s government that had gone before.

Unfortunately she has not delivered. Whether it is workers on boards or an energy price cap, she has talked tough and then retreated.

But the biggest test of all when it comes to taking on the powerful is about Rupert Murdoch. Soon, we will see if the Government retreats again.

In 2011 Murdoch was all set to gain total control of Sky (as opposed to the 39 per cent his company, 21st Century Fox, currently owns) but the scandal of phone-hacking derailed the bid. But Murdoch, being Murdoch, is now trying again.

We should be extremely concerned about Murdoch getting total control of Sky because of the extraordinary power across different platforms that he would wield. If the bid succeeded, his empire would include the largest-circulation newspaper group in the country with The Sun and The Times, the supply of news to almost every commercial radio station in the UK, his own national commercial radio news station, the Sky News TV channel, and the country’s second-largest internet service provider, which Sky now is.

What’s more, we know he uses his power where he possibly can to push a divisive and deeply ideological political agenda. Even now, after the scandal of phone-hacking supposedly made politicians more wary, he has had far more access to government ministers than any other media organisation, including the BBC. What could possibly make us think it would be a good idea to give this man and his family even more power over our media landscape and politicians?

Murdoch’s most high-profile wholly owned TV station, Fox News, also tells us why we should be really worried. The channel has long been home to American Right-wing nutbaggery: conspiracy theories about President Obama not being American, GCHQ having spied on Donald Trump, as well as Islamophobia and homophobia.

The latest notorious example was its news story in May of this year that a murdered Democrat staffer Seth Rich had leaked thousands of Democratic emails during the presidential campaign, supposedly rebutting the idea that it was the Russian government.

The story was retracted a week later. But three months on neither the reporter nor on-air anchors have been disciplined, no explanation has been offered and the grieving parents of Seth Rich, who saw their dead son’s name traduced, have received no apology.

In the era of fake news it is all the more important we protect trusted news sources from getting into the wrong hands. With a record like this, how can we possibly trust the Murdochs with total control of Sky News?

Our broadcasting code is not enough protection because its impartiality rules can’t take account of story selection, tone or prominence. And an aggressive media owner can push the limits. The way to prevent the risk of the “Foxification” of Sky is to stop the bid.

We should also be wary of the Murdochs because of the record of criminality and rule-breaking in their empire. After phone-hacking, the Murdochs solemnly told us that they were ashamed of what had happened and new procedures would be put in place to prevent bad practice at their companies.

But now we know from revelations over the past year that they have presided over a veritable nest of sexual harassment at Fox News, with additional allegations of racial harassment, which have prompted multiple lawsuits, millions of dollars in payouts and a US Federal investigation. What’s more, the sexual harassment went right to the top of the organisation, including its chief executive and on-screen stars, lasted for years and was covered up.

Their corporate record should lead to severe doubts about them having control of a local freesheet, never mind Sky News, and it has led politicians from across the political spectrum to say the Murdochs are not fit and proper to take full control of Sky.

So what should the Government do? This week Culture Secretary Karen Bradley should refer the Sky bid for further investigation on grounds of plurality (the Murdochs’ media power) and crucially, broadcasting standards, as evidenced by the record of Fox News and the history of corporate governance failure at Murdoch-owned companies.

There is overwhelming evidence that justifies such an investigation, evidence which has grown stronger and stronger since the bid was launched. If Bradley seeks to argue it isn’t necessary, it will simply be testimony to weakness and cowardice in the face of Murdoch power.

The Murdochs are coming back to try to take over Sky, not because they’ve changed but because they think politicians haven’t Ed Miliband

The ball is also in the court of the regulator, Ofcom. It produced a report in the summer letting the Murdochs off the hook on whether they were “fit and proper” to take control of Sky.

The report was riddled with errors of fact (it dismissed the harassment at Fox News as historical from before 2012, which was simply wrong) and omissions, such as their failure to follow up their own criticism of James Murdoch’s handling of phone-hacking. It’s time Ofcom recognised its responsibilities and did a proper investigation of the Murdochs’ record.

Words about standing up to vested interests are easy. Deeds are much tougher. All parties got too close to the Murdochs. But when phone-hacking happened, all vowed the future would be different.

The Murdochs are coming back to try to take over Sky not because they’ve changed but because they think politicians haven’t. It’s high time they were proved wrong.



Ed Miliband is MP for Doncaster North and former leader of the Labour Party