Hugh Grant has hit back at Piers Morgan for branding him a “hypocrite” 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 claims of unlawful information gathering.
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: “I have some sympathy, when I’m in a generous mood, for politicians terrified of the Murdochs.”
Morgan shared Grant’s quote on X/Twitter on Griay (24 January), writing: “REMINDER: Hugh Grant took many millions of pounds from Rupert Murdoch to make movies for him. #hypocrite.”
However, Grant fired back 15 minutes later: “Bulls***. The last time I worked for a Murdoch owned company was in 1994. Which was long before I knew anything about his papers’ methods.
“Since then I have turned down every single job offer emanating from a Murdoch owned company.”
It didn’t end there. Hours later, Morgan replied: “UPDATE: Your movie Florence Foster Jenkins was distributed by Murdoch-owned (at the time) 20th Century Fox in the UK. #HypocriteANDliar,” to which Grant said: “That film was made for the BBC and Pathé. My contract was with them.
“I have no control over which local distributor is subsequently used in various countries. Fox was just local distributor for the UK. Keep up.”
Grant accepted a large settlement from Murdoch’s 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 “the 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.
“My lawyers tell me that that is exactly what would most likely happen here. Rupert Murdoch’s lawyers are very expensive. So even if every allegation is proven in court, I would still be liable for something approaching £10m in costs. I’m afraid I am shying at that fence.”
Both Grant and Prince Harry had sued for alleged widespread unlawful information gathering, including landline tapping, burglary and “blagging” confidential information about him.
Grant has since backed Prince Harry’s call for a fresh police investigation into Murdoch’s media empire, calling on the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to show leadership and stop “criminal abuse by big corporations”.
Speaking about the latest governmental decision on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme this morning, defence secretary John Healey said action would only be considered “if there was new evidence”.
When asked about the reason for the second inquiry being shelved, Healey replied: “Seven 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.
“We need to strike a balance between the protection of individuals and the right of a free press.”
