Cameron promises answers in NOTW fiasco

British Prime Minister David Cameron today promised he would get to the bottom of the problems raised by allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World.

He insisted he would not allow the controversy to distract his attention from voters’ priorities, like the economy, immigration and jobs.

Speaking after talks with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in Lagos, Mr Cameron said he did not under-estimate the importance of the questions raised by the phone-hacking row.

“Parts of the media committed dreadful illegal acts, the police have serious questions to answer about potential corruption and about failed investigations, politicians have been too close to media owners,” said the PM.

“These are big problems but we are a big country and we will sort them out.”

Mr Cameron said he would use a statement to the House of Commons tomorrow to give more details of the inquiry he has launched into the phone-hacking allegations.

“The British people want an independent media acting within the law, they want an independent police force always ready to pursue the evidence wherever it goes and politicians who are prepared to work together in the public good to get this problem sorted.”

But he insisted that the public did not want politicians to “lose our focus” on wider issues in the midst of the furore.

He added: “We are not going to take our eye off the ball of getting our economy to grow, making sure there are jobs, making sure there is a strong immigration system.”