Miliband says News International have too much power

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

In a keynote speech tomorrow (Monday), Ed Miliband will argue that Britain needs tougher media regulation powers (for pay-TV as well as the press), and suggests that News International’s UK operations should be broken up, as they are too powerful. Miliband will say:

“Down the ages, it is large concentrations of power that lead to abuses of power and neglect of responsibility. In the banks, they were too big to fail. And the same is true in our media.”

“News Corporation owned nearly 40% of the newspaper market. It owns 80% of the pay TV market through the Sky platform. And Sky News. I do not think that is healthy for our country.”

“It is not healthy for consumers, who see choice constrained. It is not healthy for our democracy, where we see too much power in one set of hands. It is not healthy for a country that believes in responsibility all the way to the top of society.”

“That is why Labour will be submitting proposals to the judicial inquiry for new cross media ownership laws.”