9:02am UK, Thursday July 21, 2011
The Prime Minister is facing fresh pressure over claims about his dealings with Rupert Murdoch's empire during the media mogul's bid to take full control of BSkyB.
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David Cameron sidestepped repeated questions in the Commons over whether the planned takeover was mentioned in private discussions with News International executives.
In a gruelling session, Mr Cameron was also forced to admit that "with hindsight" he would never have recruited Andy Coulson – former editor of the News Of The World (NOTW) – as No 10 communications chief.
He told MPs he was "extremely sorry" for the furore surrounding Mr Coulson, who he said should face "severe" criminal charges if it turned out he lied about what he knew about phone-hacking activities at the newspaper.
As Rupert Murdoch returns to the US, David Cameron is facing renewed pressure
The PM said: "Of course, I regret and I am extremely sorry about the furore it has caused.
"With 20:20 hindsight - and all that has followed - I would not have offered him the job and I expect that he wouldn't have taken it.
"But you don't make decisions in hindsight, you make them in the present.
"You live and you learn - and believe you me, I have learnt."
Mr Cameron came under attack from Labour leader Ed Miliband who said his words on Mr Coulson were "not enough".
Later, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt appeared to confirm some conversations had been held about the bid for BSkyB, owner of Sky News.
But aides pointed out he had "not referenced anyone in particular" those discussion may have been with.
Mr Hunt told MPs: "The discussions the Prime Minister had on the BSkyB deal were irrelevant.
"They were irrelevant because the person who had the responsibility... the person who was making this decision was myself."
Labour jumped on the remarks claiming it was the first time the Government had admitted that Mr Cameron had discussed the proposed takeover at all.
Meanwhile, as Mr Murdoch left the UK for America after being grilled by MPs over the phone-hacking scandal, it emerged the full extent of the alleged cover-up at the NOTW could be exposed after News International (NI) lifted a gagging order on its lawyers.
It means the company could release details of its dealings with Harbottle Lewis, which held what have been described as "smoking gun" emails allegedly detailing wrongdoing at the Sunday tabloid.
The law firm is now free to share at least some information with Scotland Yard and the forthcoming public inquiry into media standards.
NI also announced it had stopped paying the legal fees of Glenn Mulcaire, the investigator jailed in 2007 for hacking into voicemails for the NOTW.
Article Source KBG Test Blog (http://rc.kbg.me)
