Reply #6: One of THE questions: Did David Cameron discuss News Corp's Sky bid with Rebekah Brooks? [View All]

David Cameron's apparent admission that he did discuss Rupert Murdoch's bid for BSkyB with unnamed executives of News International casts the first serious doubt about the conduct of the prime minister and the government over the proposed £8bn takeover that would have led to the creation of most powerful media group in Britain.

Asked seven times about his involvement in the bid – which needed regulatory approval initially from business secretary, Vince Cable, and later the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt – the prime minister cracked, indicating that he may well have had one or more conversations with individuals at Murdoch's News International who he did not get close to naming.

Labour's Dennis Skinner asked if the prime minister had ever discussed the BSkyB bid in any of his meetings with News International. Cameron said he never had any "inappropriate conversation" with News International and had taken himself completely out of any consideration of the BSkyB deal – and noted that Sir Gus O'Donnell, the cabinet secretary, had ruled "very clearly" that no ministerial code was broken in relation to the BSkyB merger and meetings with News International executives.

However, as with his answer to an earlier question on the same subject from Ben Bradshaw, the implication was clear. There had been some sort of conversations, most likely with Rebekah Brooks, the former News International chief executive – we shall see if that detail emerges later – perhaps at one of those meetings last Christmas that Brooks and Cameron were desperate to keep concealed until this week.
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