Brooks told Cameron: 'in this together'

LONDON -- News Corp. executive Rebekah Brooks told David Cameron before he became British prime minister that her company was "in this together" with him in 2009, the week after its Sun newspaper switched its support to his Tory party.

"I'm so rooting for you tomorrow," Brooks told Cameron in a text message on Oct. 7 that year, the day before his closing speech to his party's annual conference, according to evidence disclosed at Britain's media-ethics inquiry Thursday. "Not just as a proud friend, but because professionally we're definitely in this together! Speech of your life? Yes he Cam!"

The last three words would become the Sun's headline two days later. One of the conference's slogans had been "We're all in this together," a reference to Conservative austerity plans. The message was read out at the London inquiry as Cameron defended his dealings with News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch and his staff.

Cameron established the probe in July after revelations about the extent of illegal activity at News Corp.'s now-defunct News of the World tabloid, once Britain's best-selling newspaper. Murdoch closed the News of the World and dropped his New York-based company's bid for British Sky Broadcasting in response to public anger over the phone-hacking scandal. Brooks quit as chief executive of News Corp.'s British publishing unit and was charged in a related case.

In five hours of testimony under oath, Cameron said he had made no "covert or overt" deals with the company. He denied promising News Corp. support for a takeover of BSkyB, the country's biggest pay-television company, in exchange for political backing during the 2010 election.

"This idea that somehow the Conservative Party and News International got together and said you give us your support and we'll wave through this deal -- which we didn't even know about -- is nonsense," Cameron said.

Some hacking victims have alleged Murdoch's close relationships with Britain's leaders helped keep the extent of the scandal from coming to light sooner.-- Bloomberg News