Alan Brown
Main Page: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)Sky/21st Century Fox: Proposed Merger
Alan Brown Excerpts
Karen Bradley
I do not wish to detain the House, so perhaps it would be helpful if I wrote to the hon. Lady to set out the precise details of the law, as set out in the Enterprise Act, and the various stages that apply to media mergers.
Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)
I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. With regard to media plurality, she might be aware that 18 academics from across the UK have written to The Guardian today to express their concern about what the merger would mean. We know that Fox News has given rise to fake news and feeds the ramblings of a madman across the Atlantic, so we certainly do not want to go down that road. I welcome her comments about News International’s governance and James Murdoch’s past behaviour. I look forward to her coming back in 10 days’ time to say that she will intervene and refer the merger to Ofcom. Hopefully she will remain robust when it comes to any representations she might receive.
Karen Bradley
I note the hon. Gentleman’s comments. I, too, look forward to coming back to the House with the final decision.