‘We’re in this together,’ Brooks texted Cameron

David Cameron received a text message from Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper boss saying they were “in this together“, a press ethics inquiry heard during testimony from the prime minister.

The 2009 text from Rebekah Brooks — who now faces criminal charges relating to the phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World tabloid — raised fresh questions about Cameron’s links to Murdoch’s US-based News Corporation.

But during five hours of televised evidence at the Leveson Inquiry, Cameron repeatedly denied making secret deals with Murdoch’s empire in exchange for the political support of the mogul’s newspapers.

Brooks was chief executive of News International, News Corp’s British newspaper wing, when she sent the text to Cameron the night before a crucial speech to his Conservative party conference, when he was leader of the opposition.

“I am so rooting for you tomorrow not just as a personal friend, but because professionally we’re definitely in this together. Speech of your life? Yes he Cam!,” said Brooks in the text, which was read out to the inquiry.

“Yes he Cam” was the headline the next day in The Sun, Murdoch’s top-selling British tabloid, which had come out in support of Cameron just over a week earlier.

Brooks also suggested that Cameron — who knew her husband, Charlie, from their schooldays at the elite Eton College and lived near the couple — have a “country supper” to discuss an “issue” with the Murdoch-owned Times newspaper.

The inquiry heard in May that Cameron signed texts to Brooks “LOL”, thinking it stood for “lots of love”.

Brooks, 44, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with hiding material during the last days of the News of the World, which shut amid public outrage when it emerged the tabloid had hacked the phone of a murdered schoolgirl.

Her husband and four other people have also been charged and they will all appear before a judge on June 22.

The prime minister set up the Leveson Inquiry in July last year after the News of the World was shut down to examine the ethics of the press, but in recent weeks he has seen his own government effectively put on trial. However, Cameron hit out at “conspiracy theories” over his relationship with News Corp, especially his government’s handling of the company’s bid for control of pay-TV giant BSkyB.

“The idea of overt deals is nonsense,” Cameron said when asked about claims of some kind of deal with Murdoch. “I also don’t believe in this theory that there was also a nod and a wink and a covert agreement.”

Cameron admitted, however, that relationships between the press and politicians had been overly close.

“I think in the last 20 years the relationship has not been right. I think it has been too close. I don’t think the regulatory system we have at the moment works.”

Cameron also defended his decision to hire his former media chief, Andy Coulson, another ex-News of the World editor, who has been charged with perjury and arrested over hacking and bribery allegations.

“This has come back to haunt both him and me,” Cameron said.

He said he took full responsibility for the decision and said he had sought assurance from Coulson during a face-to-face meeting in his office that he was not involved in phone hacking.

The News of the World is believed to have illegally accessed the voicemails of thousands of people including royals, politicians, celebrities and crime victims.

Murdoch still owns The Sun, Britain’s best-selling tabloid, The Times and Sunday Times in Britain.

The senior judge leading the inquiry, Brian Leveson, is due to produce a report in October. It is expected to include recommendations on the press regulation.

Police have arrested around 50 people in combined investigations into phone hacking and bribery of public officials which opened in Jan 2011.