Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Estate. Should the relevant party take office, the Shadow Secretary would be a likely candidate to become Culture Secretary. The post became necessary when John Major created the Department of National Heritage in 1992. When the Coalition Government took office, they merged the office of Culture Secretary with that of Minister for the Olympics (Jeremy Hunt had shadowed both roles in Opposition). Labour retained as its Olympics spokesperson Tessa Jowell, who had been Olympics Minister from the inception of the office. Because it never merged the responsibilities, it has retained the name "Culture, Olympics and Sport" (as has indeed the
News Corporation takeover bid for BSkyB suggested that as a result of the phone hacking scandal, it would be politically difficult or impossible for News Corp to proceed with its takeover plans. In addition to public pressure for the deal to be withdrawn or for the Government to halt the proposal, Britain's major political parties all expressed the view that the deal should not go ahead. The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives both indicated that they would support an opposition day motion from Labour calling on News Corp to rescind its offer. On 13 July, shortly before the House of Commons was due to debate the