Phone hacking: David Cameron's 'love letters' to Rebekah Brooks

Rupert Murdoch's former executive Rebekah Brooks received letters from David Cameron signed 'love, David'.

David Cameron

Too great a degree of affection for Rebekah Brooks, the ousted News International chief executive at the centre of the phone hacking scandal, is now regarded in Westminster as the love that dare not speak its name.

One Whitehall toiler tells Mandrake, however, that David Cameron made no secret of his affection for the flame-haired temptress while she was a power in the land. "I used to see him signing letters to her with the words 'love, David'," he tells me. "I suppose I should have known that this was going to land us into trouble, sooner or later."

One could but wonder if the Prime Minister, who is on holiday with his family in Cornwall, subscribes to Virgil's view that "love conquers all" and has been in touch with Mrs Brooks to console her about the events that precipitated her resignation from News International. His spokesman did not, alas, respond to my text.

Still, Mrs Brooks may not have that much need of a shoulder to cry upon. As I have disclosed, she retains the services of a News International chauffeur, and, while she has given up some directorships after I pointed out that she remained on Rupert Murdoch's payroll, the old boy has told her to "travel the world" and assured her that he will look after her once the scandal has died down.

Mrs Brooks has, of course, had other men in her life over the years: both Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, during their periods in office, also fell under her spell.