London - Settlement has been reached in the dispute between Mr Chris Patten and the publishers HarperCollins over Mr Patten's book East and West, said solicitors for both parties in a statement last night.
Mr Rupert Murdoch's HarperCollins publishing company has "unreservedly apologised" and withdrawn any suggestion that Mr Patten's book was rejected for not being up to proper professional standards or being "too boring". The former Hong Kong governor, Mr Patten, the statement said, did not intend to say any more about the settlement "other than that he is pleased that this matter is now resolved and he can concentrate on the completion of his book". The book will be published by Macmillans in September. The statement also makes clear that the "dispute was not of Mr Patten's making". A spokesman for News International said the settlement had been made by both parties, adding that Mr Murdoch would be making no further comment.