Intrigue

Cameron Sought Murdoch's Influence

After first trying to run without News Corp.'s support.

Rupert Murdoch has long lurked at the heart of British politics, says the Telegraph's Peter Oborne, but David Cameron, for a time, resisted the News Corp. boss' influence. At first Cameron was wary of Murdoch, and tried to run for leadership without his assistance. But he was mocked by the Labour-supporting Murdoch press, and Gordon Brown was expected to crush him in a snap election. Then Cameron's adviser George Osborne recommended he reach out to News Corp. by hiring Andy Coulson. It was a good move strategically, but it also drew Cameron into Murdoch's inner circle, a group known as the Chipping Norton, that centered around Rebekah Brooks' Oxfordshire home. Now, says Oborne, Cameron has to turn on his partners, call for Brooks' resignation, and investigate whether Murdoch passes the “fit and proper person” test for ownership of a British company.