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David Cameron at Leveson

Live coverage as Prime Minister David Cameron gives evidence at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards.

You can watch a live stream of the hearing here.

Our correspondent Phil Baillie is at the High Court - follow his tweets at @philbaillie

by Reuters_RossChainey edited by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:03:27 PM

And that's lunch. Phew! The inquiry, and the Prime Minister's questioning, will resume at 2pm. My colleague Mark Kolmar will be back to guide you through the afternoon session, thanks for joining me this morning.

by Reuters_RossChainey edited by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 12:22:42 PM
Just spotted #Cameron taking a walk outside at the rcj, getting some fresh air before the second session begins #Leveson

by philbaillie via twitter 6/14/2012 1:03:54 PM
Everyone's fed - we're back up and running.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:05:32 PM
#Leveson, 'the great value of wives' on #Cameron's counsel with his wife over how many times they visited the brooks' - 1 in 6 weeks

by philbaillie via twitter 6/14/2012 1:08:37 PM
"I think there might have been one or two", Cameron answers to Jay's question of whether people from within his own party expressed concern over the appointment of Andy Coulson.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:09:19 PM
On return from lunch, Cameron reported a clarification from his wife, Samantha regarding social contact with Rebekah and Charlie Brooks: they were only in the constituency on 23 weekends in 2008, 23 in 2009 and 15 in 2010, and they didn't see the couple more than one every six weeks.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:13:29 PM
Now onto BskyB - in a free market mergers should go ahead unless there is a public interest against it #Leveson #Cameron

by philbaillie via twitter 6/14/2012 1:24:06 PM
Cameron says Coulson immediately denied accusations of hacking made in 2010 New York Times article, and that chief of staff Ed Llewellyn declined a Metropolitan police request about a briefing.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:24:08 PM
Cameron says he does not recall discussions with George Osborne on the BSkyB bid other than the day Vince Cable's "declaring war" on the Murdochs comments were made public, but that given they talk a lot he wouldn't rule out there having been other discussions.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:30:14 PM
"I accept there is controversy. But the backing of two permanent secretaries and a lawyer is quite a strong state of affairs," Cameron says of the decision to transfer the bid work of Vince Cable to Jeremy Hunt being suggested by his permanent, recommended by the cabinet secretary, and cleared by legal advice.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:35:42 PM
#Cameron says didn't know of Hunt's view on the merger before made public on 21 December - 'this was not up high on my list of issues'

by philbaillie via twitter 6/14/2012 1:38:10 PM
Cameron says he didn't want to know when each stage of the BSkyB decision was made, in a deliberate effort to distance himself from it.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:38:19 PM
Jay asks about conversations with James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks in November/December 2010, to which Cameron says: "I can't remember every conversation I have ever had, but I am clear about this one conversation I had with James Murdoch on 23 December 2010", which revolved around Vince Cable being wrong to have made his "declaring war" comments.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:43:16 PM
In his witness statement, Cameron had said he is confident he had no "inappropriate conversations" with James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks in November or December 2010.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:43:42 PM
Cameron says someone, he can't remember who, said "we must check the public statements of Jeremy Hunt" when giving him Vince Cable's position on the bid.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:47:01 PM
He says it was Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood who suggested moving responsibility to Jeremy Hunt, and that that solution appealed to him as it was "neat".

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:47:55 PM
"If anyone had told me that Jeremy Hunt couldn't do the job, I wouldn't have given him the job."

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 1:52:38 PM
Cameron says the press code largely contains what we would want to see from the press, and the issue is finding a way to enforce it.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:01:05 PM
Leveson notes that asking for suggestions of solutions to the issues at hand, as he typically does with those giving evidence, is slightly odd in this case, as it is David Cameron who effectively asked Leveson what to do by setting up the inquiry in the first place...

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:07:47 PM
#Cameron says there should be more training, structure and appraisal for special advisors #Leveson #Cameron

by philbaillie via twitter 6/14/2012 2:12:53 PM
Talking of lobbying by the press, Cameron says the BBC can be quite an aggressive lobbyist on issues like the license fee and charter renewal.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:14:35 PM
On closeness of politicians and journos - 'people have to police the boundaries between friendships and professional relationships #Cameron

by philbaillie via twitter 6/14/2012 2:18:16 PM
The inquiry stops for a quick break.

by Reuters_RossChainey 6/14/2012 2:18:30 PM
Just before the end of the session, Cameron says there should be transparency about meetings with members of the media, but that it would over bureaucratic to note every time a politician met an editor.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:26:09 PM
Lord O'Donnell advised that interactions with friends need not be recorded unless there were overlap with an official role.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:27:11 PM
Back underway.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:32:11 PM
Cameron says politicians must take actions to earn respect, and that how the press should respond is a question for the press, not him.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:34:36 PM
He says he understands the nervousness of the press that the Leveson inquiry could become a case of politicians ganging up on the press, and says it comes up in parliament that it must not be revenge for the expenses scandal.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:36:54 PM
#Leveson 'must not be a revenge for the expenses scandal' - #Cameron

by philbaillie via twitter 6/14/2012 2:37:45 PM
Cameron says you must have regulation for impartiality in television, where there is limited bandwidth, and that is different from newspapers, where statutory regulation is problematic.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:40:33 PM
On statutory regulation, Cameron says it would be desirable to "try and make everything that can be independent work before you reach for that lever".

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:45:26 PM
"The legal remedies seem to be there for the wealthy." "We want a system that's simple, that ordinary people can use for redress." - Cameron

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:47:31 PM
"I am absolutely opposed to a system that generates more work for lawyers." "Swift redress is extremely important." "That redress must be able to be enforced." - Leveson

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:48:13 PM
"It's quite difficult to see how it can dealt with purely contractually, because contracts can, by definition, be walked away from", Leveson adds. Says this is the press's problem, and they must come up with solution that work for him.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:49:47 PM
Cameron agrees, and says (not for the first time) that it's the like of the Dowlers and the McCanns that the system must work for, not the press or politicians.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 2:51:16 PM
On press standards: Focusing on regulatory system is better than focusing on privacy laws or other legal remedies #Leveson #Cameron

by philbaillie via twitter 6/14/2012 2:56:31 PM
Cameron and Leveson discuss the different threshold for privacy for those legitimately in the public eye, such as politicians, and those who make no effort to be public but have their private lives dragged into the public domain when it is not in the public interest. Cameron jokily refers to someone leaving their child in the pub as an example of something that may or may not be worth reporting depending on who it's about...

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 3:00:57 PM
And there the session ends. Many thanks for reading.

by Reuters: Mark Kolmar 6/14/2012 3:01:34 PM

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