Murdoch steals Pranab questions

Mukherjee, Osborne

London, July 25: Rupert Murdoch’s shadow fell across a joint treasury news conference addressed today at the foreign office in London by George Osborne, the chancellor of the exchequer, and his visiting opposite number from India, Pranab Mukherjee, the finance minister.

If Mukherjee was gratified to see the big turnout by the British media, he was quickly disabused of the notion local journalists had come to hear him hold forth of the strengths of the Indian economy and the joys of the Indian GDP, that India was seeking investments worth a trillion dollars in infrastructure development over the next three years and that India was now the third largest investor in the UK, having held positions two and four in the previous two years.

All this was true and probably much more relevant for the British economy which is in a parlous state and ought to welcome any help that China and India, the two fastest economies in the world, are able to offer.

Alas, there was really one subject the British media wanted to tackle — and that was about the dinner Osborne allegedly had with Murdoch in New York. Had they discussed Murdoch’s intended bid for BSkyB at that dinner?

And while Osborne was about it, could he also clarify that he was the one who had urged Prime Minister David Cameron to offer the job as his chief media spokesperson to Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor — as has been alleged by Rebekah Brooks, the former News International CEO?

Osborne feigned irritation and said to Mukherjee that while they wanted to discuss the economy, the British media wanted to talk about domestic issues. But he was man enough to take the questions.

He repeated the line the British Prime Minister had taken: he was sorry Coulson had been hired. With hindsight that had been a mistake. Had they known then what they knew now, Coulson would not have been offered the job and would not have accepted it if he had.

As for the business of the dinner, he urged the media to wait for the inquiry into phone hacking that is to be conducted by Lord Justice Leveson, a senior judge.

Leveson’s position was made a little more uncomfortable today when the Daily Mail reproduced the weekend story that the inquiry judge’s position was compromised because he had been to two parties at the London home of Murdoch’s daughter, Elisabeth.

Mukherjee said lots of important things such as his determination to ensure that Indo-British trade doubled over the next three years.

Osborne, too, said he was satisfied with the progress made in the “enhanced strategic relationship” since Cameron visited India a year ago. Osborne had accompanied Cameron on that trip, as had several other senior British ministers.

Although the two men were discussing crucial issues involving British jobs and the economy, the British media listened politely to Mukherjee’s long and detailed answers but failed to ask him a single question.

Mukherjee announced he would address a separate news conference for the Indian media at India House later in the day.

He and Osborne were conducting their “annual UK-India economic and financial dialogue”.

A visiting Indian journalist who had come with Mukherjee asked The Telegraph: “Is there any chance Osborne will become Prime Minister if Cameron has to resign?”

There is little chance of Cameron being forced to resign over his appointment of Coulson — at worst, he showed poor judgement — but if that were to happen, Osborne would probably be the likely successor.