MPs are trying to use Points of Order to carry on the phonehacking debate. Speaker Bercow not impressed!

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As the debate wraps up Cameron tells the house it has been 136 Questions so far. Bercow says he had been advised it was actually 138. Quite a session.

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Labour's Margaret Curran is hackled as she says "no one in this House" is trying to make "political capital from the phone hacking of Milly Dowler".

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Bob Stewart “it’s up to our political leaders and our house to get a system for dealing with this that’s sound, proper and transparent”.

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Jane Ellison points out that an Ed Miliband interview in April promised, on any future policy proposals, that “you will read it first in The Sun”

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"Both parties did a lot of sucking up to the media" - Cameron

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Eleanor Laing says the country is fed up of the “party political point scoring that has been going on today here”

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Cameron answers a Labour question on whether he’d “ever uttered” the word “BSkyB” in his private conversations with NI executives simply with a laugh and a sigh. The Conservative benches roar with laughter.

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Cameron repeats that his conversations with NI executives were appropriate, as "backed by Rebekah Brooks yesterday". Not sure how reassuring that will be.

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... better make that six questions from the Tory backbenches on Damian McBride

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Another question on former Labour spin-doctor Damian McBride from the Tory benches. At a count, there have now been five broadly identical backbench questions on Damian McBride from Conservatives.

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Cameron "if it turns out Andy Coulson knew about hacking, it won't just be a matter of profound regret" but also a criminal matter.

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Cameron: "I've been much more transparent than the party opposite"

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Did Cameron inherit details of an inquiry promised by Gordon Brown? "No, like everything else, I found a complete mess"

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Sam Gyimah: “Ordinary people also care about what is happening in the Eurozone". Asks if "the same amount of time” will be dedicated to the economic situation. Gyimah also pointed out that Speaker Bercow hired a former NI journalist and jokes he might be “blotting his copy book” by raising this. Bercow cuts him off, saying "you've had quite enough time."

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Lib Dem Duncan Hames: “does the PM agree with us that those in charge of a free press should not get away with a wilful blindness defence?”

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Jason McCartney, Conservative brings up McBride yet again. Asks if Coulson ever plotted to “smear” members of the Opposition. Obvious set up for the PM to point the finger at Labour again.

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George Freeman asks if the inquiry will cover the death of David Kelly. Cameron says "it has to focus on the issues at hand".

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The ghost of Damian McBride appears again as Cameron says "when you compare [his] conduct with that of Andy Coulson" while at Number 10, McBride comes off worse.

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Cameron again refuses to answer the question, for a third time, about whether Nick Clegg and Paddy Ashdown warned him on Coulson.  "Some people advised me not to take him on".

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Sarah Newton urges cross party cooperation, not point scoring and grandstanding.

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Talking about media balance, Cameron makes a dig at Neil Kinnock who called for fairer reporting earlier this week. Cameron jokes that if all Kinnock speeches were balanced, the coverage would go on forever.... "That's very unfair" shouts a Labour backbencher, to laughter.

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Cameron “Just once it’d be nice to hear a little bat squeak of responsibility from the party opposite”

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On the letters released last night, Cameron reiterates that it would have been "appalling" for the Police to have briefed Number 10 on operational matters.

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Richard Ottoway says the government has made more progress on this in two weeks than Labour did in thirteen years. Cameron repeats his gag about Labour being "the slumber party".

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Cameron "there is no conspiracy theory. I think we've proved that this afternoon". Pedant's note: there absolutely is a theory, but that of course doesn't mean there's a conspiracy.

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Clive Efford asks if Cameron and John Yates ever discussed phone hacking while the Conservatives were in Opposition. Cameron says he "cannot recall" every conversation.

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Cameron backs the IPCC, but says "we need to be swift enough in calling out an outside police force" when there is wrongdoing.

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Andrew Selous remarks that "our constituents want us to move on from this matter"

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Fiona MacTaggart says that putting an elected police commissioner in all forces may be a bad move, given what's transpired at the Met. Cameron says it will make the police more "repsonsive"

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More Tory-right japery as Peter Bone brings his wife into it... "Mrs Bone was wondering this morning if those visits [to Chequers] would stop..." and if there was now an opening for her to stay. Cameron, who is now looking very relaxed, quips "as long as Mrs. Bone doesn't insist on a slumber party..."

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Speaker Bercow the comedian: he reminds house of the importance of brevity and then, with perfect comic timing, calls on Bill Cash to speak. Laughter across the House.

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Again, Cameron lists McBride, Baldwin and “who did so much damage under the last government”

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Margot James (Con) calls for the protection of investigative journalism. Cameron remarks there is a "good mixture" of people on the inquiry to ensure a balance.

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Cameron again refuses to be drawn on whether he received warnings from Nick Clegg and Lord Ashdown on the continued employment of Andy Coulson.

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Cameron: “There was a progressive liberalisation of media ownership delivered under the last government... and they would do well to remember that”

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Claire Perry (who had a few rather boorish noises made as she got to her feet, to the admonishment of Speaker Bercow) remarks it is the anniversary of the moon landings and makes a dig at “vapid conspiracy hack gate theorists” on the Labour benches. In response to Claire Perry’s question about the use of Chequers, Cameron says “I won’t rule out my children having slumber parties, if that’s acceptable to the honourable lady, but I promise to leave Rebekah Wade out of it”

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Julian Huppert, LD, of the Home Affairs Select Committee. "Will the PM ensure we look at the massive failure of corporate governance in the Met?"

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PM refuses to name the company who performed a “basic background check” on Coulson

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“Everybody has done and we’ve all got to admit this sort of relationship needs to change”...“the clock has stopped on my watch and I have to sort it out”. Cameron reads a roll call of Alastair Campbell, Damian McBride and Tom Baldwin as Labour’s questionable media appointments. “Gotcha!” he quips.

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Cameron asked on apparent Lord Ashdown and Nick Clegg warnings about Coulson. Cameron seems to dodge the question and repeats the "innocent until proven guilty" line.

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Sajid Javid lays into Gordon Brown and asks if Cameron inherited any plans for an inquiry from the previous government. “It was a proposal that Gordon made to himself” says Cameron. Much laughter from the Tory benches.

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Cameron: "I wasn't involved" in BSkyB decision.

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Cameron brings up Damian McBride again, the former Labour spin doctor who resigned after apparently plotting to smear senior Tories.

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Cameron on whether it was he or Osbore who pushed to hire Coulson: "I made the decision, I defend the decision"

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Chukka Ummuna asks what were the contents of discussions with NI executives that the PM deemed "appropriate". Cameron replies that they are all readily available online and calls for the Opposition to do the same.

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Anna Soubry "it's time that Police Officers stopped divulging the information of people who have been arrested". Calls for an end to the "feeding frenzy" that destroy reputations.

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Richard Burden "when [the Prime Minister] received that letter in October, what did he do?" Cameron: "in the end, because there were so many allegations... he left. The second chance I gave him, didn't work out." "I think it'd be better if we spent our time clearing up the illegality that took place"

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Cameron: "all of us have got to ask questions about people we employ"

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Cameron defends his trip to Africa earlier this week: “It is important we get on with the things that Britain should be doing in the world... I’m proud of the fact Britain is not being deflected from the great role it is playing” in providing aid to victims the Horn of Africa famine.

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Cameron accuses the Opposition of “fevered conspiracy theories”

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Emily Thornberry brings up the September 2010 New York Times article revealing new information on Coulson. Cameron responds: “All the way through the employment of Andy Coulson there were questions about his employment at the News of the World... if anyone brought me new information that he knew about hacking, I would have fired him”. Cameron makes a dig at Tom Baldwin as the only person who worked for News International and is now in a private office “with a cloud over his head”.

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David Lammy accuses PM of “informality” in his relationship with Rebekah Brooks . PM retorts that while she was invited “six times a year to Number 10” under Labour, she has “never been invited” under his leadership.

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Philip Davies, member of CMS committee, warns on “knee-jerk” regulation. “We should have nothing that impinges on free speech” or the ability “to hold people to account”

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Cameron: "which government has set up a judicial inquiry? This one... [Labour] for thirteen years had all these opportunities and failed to take them"

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Nicola Blackwood, also on CMS comittee: “What we need is real reform of our media, our police and our politics”

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Paul Farrelly, who was on the committee. “What would you urge NI to do now to resolve that situation?” Cameron: “Very simple, tell the truth to the Police and the inquiry”

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Dennis Skinner accuses PM of dodging question on whether he discussed BSkyB deal with NI executives. "I never had one innapropriate conversation". Note the use of "inappropriate"! "This party set out all it's contacts", Cameron says, and contrasts that with Labour.

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Louise Mensch, one of yesterday’s select committee stars, accuses the Opposition of “cheap partisanship” and says it is rich “coming from the party of Tom Baldwin and Damian McBride”

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Nigel Dodds, DUP asks the PM for reassurance that the inquiry will include all forms of illegal activity and says "all parties" should be open on their relationships with "the Murdoch Empire"

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Chris Bryant says "News International are... insisting on client confidentiality" and prevening Harbottle and Lewis from talking about allegedly incriminating internal e-mails. He calls yesterday's select committee performance by the Murdochs "pretend humility"

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Keith Vaz, Chair of the Home Affairs Committee asks the Prime Minister to ensure anyone who has information about phone hacking should hand it over to Operation Weeting

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Tom Watson says he warned the Prime Minister about new allegations of Andy Coulson's role in phone hacking. Cameron: "no one has made a complaint against" the work he did in government

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John Whittingdale, chair of the CMS Comittee that grilled the Murdochs yesterday asks if victims will now be "made the priority". Cameron says "the key thing here is the scale and extent of the judicial inquiry... I want it to get on with its work as rapidly as possible"

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Cameron: "If it turns out [Coulson] knew about phone hacking... that would be a matter of huge regret"

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Deputy Lib Dem leader Simon Hughes says, “All governments... have been far to close to the media giants in this country” “No more back-door visits to Number 10”


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“We weren’t in a situation where Neil Wallis’ best buddy was working for us”, remarks Alan Johnson.

Tags: Brooks, Cameron, Miliband, MURDOCHS, News International, Phone hacking