Cameron admits he rode Brooks’ police horse

David Cameron, the British prime minister, has admitted he rode a horse given by police to Rebekah Brooks, a Rupert Murdoch newspaper editor.

After his aides had spent days dodging questions on the horse, which has become an unlikely symbol of the phone-hacking scandal, Cameron apologised for the lack of clarity and confirmed he had ridden the horse with the husband of Rebekah Brooks, who used to run Murdoch’s British news-paper business.

The questions have been awkward for Cameron, accused of being too close to Murdoch’s News Corp, the company at the centre of a public outcry over illegal phone hacking and payments to police.

He ordered an inquiry into media standards last year and a judge is taking evidence from scores of witnesses on the often close ties between the media, police and politicians.

Harriet Harman, the opposition deputy leader, accused Cameron of not being straight about how close he was to senior executives at News Corp. “It’s time for him to come clean about the extent of this relationship,” she said.

Brooks, arrested last year by police investigating wrongdoing at Murdoch’s newspapers, lives close to Cameron in one of England’s most exclusive regions.

The image of Cameron riding horses with wealthy friends is uncomfortable for a leader who has sought to play down his wealth and privileged background, not least while his government seeks to implement deep public spending cuts.

A cartoon in the Guardian showed Cameron on all-fours with a bridle in his mouth and Brooks and Murdoch sitting on his back.

A speech bubble from Cameron’s mouth played on comments from former US president Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky affair: “I did not have relations with that horse.”

London police said this week it had given Brooks one of its retired horses, called Raisa, to look after at her Oxfordshire home.

Apologising for the “confusing picture” painted over the past few days, Cameron told a news conference he rode before the 2010 election with Brooks’ husband, Charlie Brooks, a race-horse trainer and friend from Eton College.

“Before the election, yes I did go riding with him,” he said adding: “I think I should probably conclude by saying I don’t think I will be getting back into the saddle anytime soon.”

On Wednesday, a Cameron aide laughed off questions about the horse. A spokeswoman on Thursday said he had not ridden the horse. Cameron then said he had not ridden the horse since the election. On Thursday night, a spokesman finally said Cameron had “probably” gone for a ride on Raisa.