26 meetings: Govt defends Murdoch ties

It has emerged now that Cameron had met Murdochs executives,including son James and former NOTW CEO Rebekah Brooks,no fewer than 26 times in just over a year since he entered Downing Street.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Saturday that he was not embarrassed by the extent of these dealings,though he accepted that press-politician ties had to change.

There is something wrong in the country and that it must be put right has been acknowledged by the prime minister,and I think that is the right attitude to take, Hague said.

Defending Camerons invitation to Coulson,Hague added that this was a normal,human thing to do.

According to the Independent,a list of engagements released by Downing Street showed that Rebekah Brooks had been entertained at the prime ministers official residence Chequers in June and August last year.

Chairman of News International,James Murdoch also went to Chequers in November.

The paper said Coulson stayed at Chequers in March this year,two months after he quit as Downing Street director of communications following fresh allegations of phone hacking under his editorship at News of the World.