'Murdoch Amendment' To UK Communications Bill Defeated In The Lords

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

10 July 2003

An attempt by Liberal Democrat peer, Lord McNally to prevent media moguls such as Rupert Murdoch from purchasing the UK's Channel Five has run aground, after being defeated in the House of Lords on Tuesday by a margin of 30 votes.

Although a group of rebel peers led by film producer, Lord Puttnam last week forced the government into a compromise over this issue, obliging it to agree to apply a public interest test should any media merger threaten to concentrate too much power in the hands one individual or organisation, Lord McNally decided to table a separate amendment retaining the ban on newspaper owners with more than 20% penetration of the UK market making any attempt to purchase Channel 5.

Speaking to the UK media on Tuesday, he expressed his disappointment at the 137-167 defeat, arguing that:

'This amendment seeks to put specific restrictions on the ownership of Channel Five, which would create a concentration of power in any industry and in the communications industry it would constitute a threat to our democracy.'

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