Hugh Grant hits back at Piers Morgan for branding him âhypocriteâ over Murdoch row
Morgan shared a â??bulls***â?? claim about the â??Notting Hillâ?? actor
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Hugh Grant has hit back at Piers Morgan for branding him a âhypocriteâ over his disdain for Rupert Murdoch.
The war of words erupted after the government ruled out a reopening of the Leveson Inquiry, which Notting Hill actor Grant has been leading calls for.
It comes days after Prince Harry won a multi-million pound settlement over phone hacking claims against The Sun newspaper, following which he urged there to be a fresh police investigation into Rupert Murdochâs media empire.
In response to the government deciding against a second inquiry, which would have looked at the relationship between the police and the press, Grant said: âI have some sympathy, when Iâm in a generous mood, for politicians terrified of the Murdochs.â
Morgan shared Grantâs quote on X/Twitter on Griay (24 January), writing: âREMINDER: Hugh Grant took many millions of pounds from Rupert Murdoch to make movies for him. #hypocrite.â
However, Grant fired back 15 minutes later: âBulls***. The last time I worked for a Murdoch owned company was in 1994. Which was long before I knew anything about his papersâ methods.
âSince then I have turned down every single job offer emanating from a Murdoch owned company.â
Hugh Grantâs war of words with Piers Morgan (X/Twitter )
The initial Leveson inquiry was initiated because of industrial scale phone hacking by newspapers at Murdochâs News Corp and Trinity Mirror.
Grant accepted a large settlement from Murdochâs News Group Newspapers (NGN) in 2024 after being advised he risked being liable for £10m in legal costs if his case proceeded to a trial.
The actor said his decision to settle with the publisher was because âthe rules around civil litigation mean that if I proceed to trial and the court awards me damages that are even a penny less than the settlement offer, I would have to pay the legal costs of both sides.
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âMy lawyers tell me that that is exactly what would most likely happen here. Rupert Murdochâs lawyers are very expensive. So even if every allegation is proven in court, I would still be liable for something approaching £10m in costs. Iâm afraid I am shying at that fence.â
Hugh Grant wasnât happy with Piers Morgan calling him a âhypocriteâ (Getty Images )
Both Grant and Prince Harry had sued for alleged widespread unlawful information gathering, including landline tapping, burglary and âblaggingâ confidential information about him.
Grant has since backed Prince Harryâs call for a fresh police investigation into Murdochâs media empire, calling on the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to show leadership and stop âcriminal abuse by big corporationsâ.
Speaking about the latest governmental decision on BBC Radio 4âs Today Programme this morning, defence secretary John Healey said action would only be considered âif there was new evidenceâ.
When asked about the reason for the second inquiry being shelved, Healey replied: âSeven years, two elections and we went into the last election last year with a commitment to do what we can but a decision we would not go ahead with the second stage of an inquiry.
âWe need to strike a balance between the protection of individuals and the right of a free press.â