Chris HuhneI can announce that I have reached a settlement in my case against Rupert Murdoch’s News  Group Newspapers for illegal information-gathering. NGN will pay me substantial six-figure  damages, and all my legal costs. I would have liked to take the case all the way to trial in  January, but the offer was more than my legal team thought I could achieve at trial, in which  case I would have been liable for all of News Corporation’s legal costs. I would like to thank  my legal team, David Sherborne and Robert Bailey of Taylor Hampton aided by Evan Harris. Thanks too to Nathan Sparkes for helping organise today. The issues in this case are much wider than previous phone-hacking cases. My case was that  a director of News Corporation knowingly orchestrated unlawful information gathering in  the UK that demonstrated the same contempt for the democratic process shown by Fox  when it knowingly lied about Trump winning the presidential election. Searching for political  kompromat, spying on government ministers for commercial gain, and knowingly telling  repeated lies to maintain sales and ratings should all be utterly unacceptable in any  responsible media organisation, yet are the stock in trade of the two Murdoch media  companies.

I believe that this settlement vindicates my long-standing claim that News Corporation  directors and managers targeted me to get rid of a political opponent. As the Liberal  Democrats’ shadow Home Secretary in 2009, I was the only parliamentary front bencher to  call for a renewed police investigation that led to Andy Coulson and others being convicted,  and for the judicial inquiry into newspaper practices that became the Leveson inquiry. From that point, News Corp was out to get me. My case is unprecedented because the  unlawful information-gathering was directed not by journalists but by News Corp executives.  They had two objectives: corporate espionage to help Murdoch’s bid for Sky, and bull-dozing  pesky politicians out of the way.  

The Murdochs’ News Corporation ordered intense and expensive investigations of me by  their newspapers to find “kompromat'' designed to destroy my political career. It is also clear  they were spying on me and other ministers to help Murdoch’s bid for Sky TV (B Sky B). It  had nothing to do with the noble journalistic task of holding power to account. Instead, it  was an abuse of a media multinational’s power for nothing more than corporate greed. The key News Corporation executives with questions to answer are Fred Michel, a director in  charge of Murdoch’s political and external affairs, and long-standing Murdoch lieutenant  Rebekah Brooks. Both were overseen by family member James Murdoch. Brooks remains  the key director of all the holding companies that link the US-listed News Corporation to The  Sun, Sun on Sunday, News of the World, The Times and The Sunday Times. Frederic Michel is  special adviser to Emmanuel Macron, the President of France. They have not yet been held  to account. The Metropolitan Police should reopen its investigation once again but this time to look at  the directors and managers of News Corporation, not just the journalists. It is time to go for the bosses not the workers. Organisations like News and Fox rot from the top down.

I am  also offering to help in any way I can in US cases against the Murdochs. This includes the  case taken by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander against Fox for breach of fiduciary duty  by directors. It is time that the cases against the Murdochs’ two companies – Fox and News  Corporation – were joined up. The US, UK and Australian political systems have allowed the Murdochs to become far too  powerful. I confidently predict there will be little or no reporting of this settlement in The  Times, Sunday Times, Sun, Sun on Sunday, Talk TV, Times Radio, New York Post, Wall Street  Journal, Dow Jones, Marketwatch, Australian, Sky News Australia, News.com.au, Fox News or Fox TV staIons because they are all owned by the Murdochs. Nor will HarperCollins or its  imprints be making me an offer for the book rights, or the Times Literary Supplement reviewing it. This concentration of power is an insult to pluralism. Finally, I look forward to supporting the actions of Sir Vince Cable and Sir Norman Lamb,  whose claims have been listed for a later trial date. Thanks to you for coming today. Notes to editors:

1. Chris Huhne is available for interview on request to chuhne@gmail.com or 07748  928 422.
2. Chris Huhne’s Particulars of Claim – detailing much of the evidence against News Group Newspapers prior to disclosure in this case – are available on request and continue to be subject  to qualified privilege as a document lodged with the High Court of JusIce in London.  NGN’s Defence – relying principally on the claim that the suit was out of Ime – is also  available, as is Mr Huhne’s Reply to that Defence.
3. Rebekah Brooks remains the key link between the listed News CorporaIon in the  USA and its UK holdings. According to the UK records at Companies House, for  example, The Times and The Sunday Times are controlled by Times Media Ltd, which  is in turn controlled by Times Newspaper Holding Ltd (director, Rebekah Brooks),  which is in turn controlled by News Corp UK and Ireland Ltd (director, Rebekah  Brooks) which is in turn controlled by News Corp Holdings UK and Ireland Ltd  (director Rebekah Brooks) which is in turn controlled by News Corp Investments UK  and Ireland Ltd (director Rebekah Brooks). This is the final UK corporate entity in the  somewhat baroque line of control, which is in turn controlled by News CorporaIon  whose correspondence address is given as Delaware, United States of America.
4. Chris Huhne is one of three former Liberal Democrat senior ministers bringing acIons  against News CorporaIon. Sir Vince Cable’s and Sir Norman Lamb’s cases were listed  for a later trial.