In a series of disclosures on by far the most dramatic day so far of the Leveson Inquiry, the Cabinet Minister’s key political adviser was revealed to have given apparently confidential information on a regular basis over several months to a lobbyist working for James Murdoch.

In public, the Culture Secretary insisted that he was acting in an independent and impartial manner, but the release of the emails has led to allegations that he was privately colluding with the Murdoch family.

News Corporation released more than 170 pages of “evidence”, consisting of internal emails and text messages, detailing the company’s extraordinary efforts to lobby the Government. The emails largely contain messages sent by Frederic Michel, the head of public affairs, to James Murdoch and other senior executives at News Corp detailing his discussions with the Government. The company also released emails and text messages between Mr Michel and Adam Smith, Mr Hunt’s main special adviser.

In one message, Mr Michel detailed what the Culture Secretary would say to Parliament the next day on the BSkyB takeover, noting that it was “absolutely illegal” for him to obtain the information.