Back to the "Swan Lake" email. Smith has never seen Swan Lake, but he doesn't know where Mr Hunt was.

Smith: "I'm sure that I often say things that aren't Mr Hunt's opinion, yes."

Did Smith pass on Paul Dacre's comments to the Secretary of State to Mr Michel? Smith says no.

Jay would like this view translated from legalese into plain English. Smith is reluctant to make that translation.

Smith insists he didn't really have an opinion.
"I was not that fussed as I said yesterday."

We're not really getting anywhere with this evidence session. Smith is articulate and evasive; Jay is probing but unable to extract significant concessions.

Smith insists that he had not particular feelings about the BSkyB bid one way or another and nothing much went wrong.

Check this exchange for the lack of contrition and revelation:

Jay asks whether Smith's relationship with News Corp lobbyist Fred Michel had become too close?

Smith replies: "I think the tone of some of the language I may have used in some of the texts, in hindsight, may have been too flippant and loose but I don't think the substance of what we had been through was inappropriate."

"I think the tone of some of the language that I may have used in some of the texts in hindsight was a bit flippant and loose certainly, but I don't think the substance of what we've been through was inappropriate". Smiths response to Jay's question, had his relationship with Michel been inappropriately close?

Jay: "If you accept that there was a conversation within half an hour of this email, one possible inference is that you're the source of the information"

Smith: "If he [Hunt] had been constantly badgered to the extent that I was then it might have got to him."

It was "the perception that something untoward had happened", which motivated his resignation, says Smith.