Last week's announcement of a government inquiry into Rupert Murdoch's latest advances on the British media market could mark the end of his support for the Labour Party, experts say. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has asked media watchdog Ofcom to probe the public interest issues involved in British Sky Broadcasting Group buying a 17.9 percent stake in commercial broadcaster ITV last November.
Ofcom must provide advice by April 27 on whether the case raises public interest concerns about the number of different owners of media enterprises.
BSkyB, which runs news, sports, entertainment, film and travel channels amongst others, is 39-percent owned by News Corporation, Murdoch's giant global media conglomerate which is run by his son James.
Beyond the satellite television service, which has more than eight million subscribers, the Australian-American's News International firm publishes four major British newspapers: The Times and The Sun dailies, and their sister weekly papers The Sunday Times and News of the World, Britain's biggest-selling newspaper.
Their total circulation was 8.6 million per day on average in January, representing 31.5 percent of national newspaper sales.
The support of Murdoch's newspapers is seen by some as crucial to winning British general elections.
"The Sun backs Blair", the tabloid announced in 1997, switching allegiance from the then-governing Conservatives.
Supported by Murdoch's newspaper stable, Labour won the 1997, 2001 and 2005 general elections -- but the marriage is now seemingly in a rocky patch.
Ofcom's probe comes alongside a similar investigation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), Britain's economic regulator.
The probe was opened in January to investigate competition issues, due to concern from cable television provider NTL -- since rebaptised as Virgin Media.
NTL, which tried to buy ITV last year, accused BSkyB of buying up a stake in the group with the sole aim of countering NTL's proposed advances and ensuring that BSkyB remained the market leader in paid-for television in Britain.
Trade and Industry Secretary Alastair Darling ordered the Ofcom and the OFT investigations, while 67 Labour MPs, hostile to Murdoch's grip on the British media, signed a motion in parliament demanding that the deal be probed.
BSkyB slammed the decision, regretting that investing in businesses could not be done in a climate of confidence in the government.
Darling insisted he was playing it neutral. But Blair's pledged departure by September and the predicted takeover by finance minister Gordon Brown -- not to mention the main opposition Conservatives riding high in the polls -- has given the spat a political edge.
"There will now be a great deal of lobbying going on by the Murdoch people who, of course, we know have virtually open access to Number 10" Downing Street, said Julian Petley, a professor of film and television studies at Brunel University in west London and the joint chairman of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom.
"I'm sure the ties will now be slightly strained and that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown will not need reminding by Rupert Murdoch that the support of his papers is conditional.
"That's the rules of the game in this country -- they know what's going on."
Despite a decade of support, the slump in Blair's popularity -- linked to the war in Iraq -- plus the relaunch of the Conservatives under modernising leader David Cameron have changed the picture.
"Murdoch will like to be on the side of the winner and if he gets the feeling that Cameron could win, he might well support him," said Roy Greenslade, a professor of journalism at City University in London, a former assistant editor of The Sun and a former editor of the Daily Mirror.
British business tycoon Richard Branson, the biggest shareholder in Virgin Media, has been putting pressure on the government since last year, accusing them of being "scared stiff of Murdoch".
"If The Sun and The Sunday Times and Sky and the News of the World all come out in favour of one particular party, the election is going to be won by that particular party," he said.
"Basically we have got rid of democracy in this country and we might as well let Murdoch decide who is going to be our prime minister."
