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When Cameron went horse riding with Brooks

Former NoW journalist told Hugh Grant: "Cameron went horse riding regularly with Rebekah."

In light of recent developments, I thought it was worth extracting this part of Hugh Grant's undercover interview with former News of the World journalist Paul McMullan.

Me So they all knew? Wade probably knew all about it all?
Him [...] Cameron must have known - that's the bigger scandal. He had to jump into bed with Murdoch as everyone had, starting with Thatcher in the Seventies . . . Tony Blair . . . [tape is hard to hear here] Maggie openly courted Murdoch, saying, you know, "Please support me." So when Cameron, when it came his turn to go to Murdoch via Rebekah Wade . . . Cameron went horse riding regularly with Rebekah. I know, because as well as doorstepping celebrities, I've also doorstepped my ex-boss by hiding in the bushes, waiting for her to come past with Cameron on a horse . . . before the election to show that - you know - Murdoch was backing Cameron.

Cameron's friendship with Brooks (he also had dinner at her Oxfordshire home over Christmas) hasn't received the attention that it deserves. But, one senses, it will now.

When previously challenged over the dinner, which took place while the government was considering Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB takeover bid, Cameron replied: "The person in question is married to a very old friend of mine. I even occasionally meet people who work for the Guardian, or the Independent, or the BBC, or whatever." Would he offer a similar defence today? It's all fertile PMQs material for Ed Miliband.

25 comments

nicepacket's picture

Cameron doing Wade? (er, done..)

nicepacket's picture

Cameron doing Wade?..(er,done)

nicepacket's picture

Cameron doing Wade?..(er,done)

Mizar's picture

They're all in it together.

Mizar's picture

But perhaps Cameron will now chill relationship with Murdoch' empire.

Lou's picture

The Speaker has granted a three hour debate on the hacking revelations after PMQs tomorrow and assigned three hours.

Grandma's picture

Hacking...isn't that some kind of horse-riding?

English Electric's picture

...and?

Freeman2's picture

Hari must be thinking, 'So there is a god'.

chitteringhaze's picture

Fully agree on the subject Lady J. Gordon may be a miserable sod at times, would you blame him? He is the only sincere one who was kicked out by the now squirming worms who are so insincere they are like a pack of wolves unable to stand up and be counted. This great result IS only due to a couple of brave celebs + members of the public who had the guts to take on those worms. Can't wait to see Coulsen + Wade in the Dock + Heyman trying to not sink any lower.

Clacker's picture

Cameron and NI must be dreading the prospect of one or more of their journalists and/or 'Private Investigators' going native, spilling the beans.

That's surely what'll happen if NI continue refusing to accept responsibility at the highest (above Brooks) level and hang their minions out to dry?

And if that produces evidence that Cameron knew about all this, via his close relationship with Brooks, Coulson, Murdoch et al, but did nothing, then the Coalition Government is dead in the water.

It is to be hoped that there are still some true 'Investigative Journalists' looking into this even now.

Wishful thinking (the latter point) I know.

Freeman2's picture

Clacker writes, 'And if that produces evidence that Cameron knew about all this, via his close relationship with Brooks, Coulson, Murdoch et al, but did nothing, then the Coalition Government is dead in the water.'

Not in a million years. Cameron is arrogant and stupid, but not that stupid. I wish you were right though.

Mike Roberts's picture

Friends in showbiz should have better understanding in horse riding. They need to engage in natural horsemanship training

hugh markey's picture

Has someone lost their seat? Becky-Wecky? We already know Cameron's colours. Hope to see Murdoch's colours soon. For God's Sake, not the bloody 'skull and crossbones'. That's Johnny Depp's prop!

Punter

Luddite's picture

If its guilt by association the whole of the parliamentary Labour party should be in the dock.

Clacker's picture

Purely in terms of schadenfreude it's massively satisfying to see, as we did today, the News International playground bully kicked in the nuts by Hugh Grant, the floppy haired kid.

capt-price's picture

Luddite... Do you write for one of Murdoch's arse rags by any chance?

Your last statement could easily be tomorrow's headline in The Scum.

How ever you and the rest of the blue rinse brigade try and deflect the fall out form this, there is no getting away from the fact that this sorry, wretched episode was low rent to say the least.

Now go away and flog some poor folk.

jim's picture

Tony Blair used to have dinner regularly with wade/brooks whilst all the hacking of dead girls phones was goin on...keeping the labour relationship with news corp a good one!

Did somone forget to tell Red Ed this!

oh dear, close the door behind you little ed!

Anton Jury's picture

No wonder David Cameron held onto Andy Culson for so long even though he (David Cameron) knew that Culson was implicated in the crime of hacking into other peoples telephones including Royalty.

David Cameron probably thought that this investigation would never get this far! They have even given Rupert Murdock a more powerful Empire to spread his deceit.

They appear to be a bunch of crooks the lot of them.

sally's picture

And remember Murdoch's son giving his lecture about the power of the BBC, and claiming that their power was "chilling."

This is like a story out of a third world banana republic. Spineless politicians, corrupt police ,and big corporate interests.

Lady J's picture

Let us all appologise to Gordon Brown. We now know that his negative image was brought about by News international when he refused to bow down to their influence and the lazy The British public allowed the mainstream press mainly lead by News International to persuade them that David Cameron will be a Prime Minister than Gordon Brown. We are yet to discover just what we have lost in helping the media, including the BBC in destroy Gordon Brown just because he, unlike puppets like Thatcher and Blair and super puppets like Cameron; he, Brown, refused to bow down to Murdoch.

As a political anorak, I concluded very quickly that Cameron won his credentials not by good policies but by courting the media, turning key Labour MP and government officials agaginst Gordon Brown. Silencing high profile individuals by giving them a job, giving them jobs as advisers or so called CZARS and peerages for high ranking business and public figures. Shameful.

WE ALL GORDON BROWN AN APPOLOGY. A MAN WITH HONOUR. VERY RARE IN TODAYS POLITICS.

Time will show that we have lost a great man whose only crime was that he refused to bow down to the media and the Blairites.

Lady J's picture

Applogies for the bad grmmer above. See corrections below. Feeling sleepy.

_____________________________________
Let us all appologise to Gordon Brown.

We now know that his negative image was brought about by News international, when he refused to bow down to their influence.

The British public allowed the mainstream media mainly lead by News International to persuade them that David Cameron will be a better Prime Minister than Gordon Brown. We are yet to discover just what we have lost in helping the media, including the BBC destroy Gordon Brown, simply because, he, unlike puppets like Thatcher and Blair and super puppets like Cameron, refused to bow down to Murdoch.

As a political anorak, I concluded very early on that Cameron won his credentials not by good policies but by courting the media, turning key Labour MPs and government officials agaginst Gordon Brown, silencing high profile individuals by giving them a job, giving them jobs as advisers or so called CZARS and peerages for high ranking business and public figures. Shameful.

WE ALL GORDON BROWN AN APPOLOGY. A MAN WITH HONOUR. VERY RARE IN TODAYS POLITICS.

Time will show that we have lost a great man whose only crime was that he refused to bow down to the media and the Blairites.

El Sid's picture

@jim - Tony Blair having dinner with Brooks is on the public record. You might want to read Kay Burley's work of pure fiction First Ladies, which describes a suave, centre-left Prime Minister who has an affair with a "Titian-haired" editrix....

I think Labour types might be wise not to push the Cameron angle too hard. Especially given how close the Labour government was to people like Matthew Freud - Murdoch's son-in-law, with Labour Spads moving to Freud's company and vice versa among other things.

It's also kinda fun seeing Will Lewis, Brooks' current number two, trying to stir the pot via his good mate Robert Peston. Potentially Lewis could be a big beneficiary of all this mess, so expect Peston to keep coming up with interesting inside gossip.

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