British Prime Minister David Cameron was questioned during a public inquiry Thursday about his relationships with two figures in News Corp.’s newspaper scandal. Cameron rejected suggestions that he traded favored treatment for electoral support in 2009, The New York Times reported.

“The idea of overt deals is nonsense,” Cameron said.

Cameron was questioned about his relationships with Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson.

Brooks is the former head of News Corp.’s U.K. newspaper unit. She faces criminal charges related to illegal reporting practices. 

Cameron was asked about a text message in which Brooks said she was “rooting” for him before a key speech and that “we’re definitely in this together.”

The prime minister said he interpreted the message as meaning they “were going to be pushing the same political agenda,” The Wall Street Journal reported. News Corp. owns The Wall Street Journal. 

Coulson resigned as editor of News Corp.’s News of the World tabloid in 2007 after a phone-hacking scandal. Cameron then hired Coulson as the Conservative Party’s communications chief. Coulson continued working for Cameron after he became prime minister. 

“There was no overt deal for support,” Cameron said. “There was no cover deal. There was no nods and winks.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Cameron accused former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who ran against him in 2010, of misleading the inquiry by suggesting he struck a deal with News Corp. prior to the 2010 election.  

“It’s absolute nonsense from start to finish,” Cameron said. “He has cooked up an entirely specious and unjustified conspiracy to try and, I don’t know, justify his anger.”

 

 

Reach Executive Producer Agnus Dei Farrant here.