PM’S emails that Leveson didn’t see

DAVID Cameron held back dozens of communications between himself and Rebekah Brooks from the Leveson Inquiry on legal advice, it emerged yesterday.

Downing Street confirmed that the Prime Minister did not hand over the content of texts and emails of a social nature with the former News of the World editor since they did not fall within Lord Justice Leveson’s remit.

Shadow Home Office minister Chris Bryant accused Mr Cameron of being ‘less than straightforward’ in his handling of the affair.

But sources close to the judge confirmed he was content with the material passed to his inquiry.

A series of texts between the PM and Mrs Brooks were revealed to the inquiry by News International, parent company of the Sun and News of the World. The Leveson Inquiry only permitted part of one to be released to the public on the grounds that the others were not relevant to the terms of the inquiry.

It revealed that Mrs Brooks, who is now facing trial for perverting the course of justice, had told Mr Cameron ‘professionally we’re definitely in this together’. It has now emerged that Mr Cameron took advice from government lawyers about which of his own texts and emails should be disclosed and failed to pass on those of a social nature.

The communications could have embarrassed the Prime Minister by exposing the full extent of his relations with the Murdoch empire and the extent to which he socialised with Mrs Brooks.

She had already claimed the pair were in contact twice a week and that Mr Cameron signed off messages with LOL, thinking it meant ‘lots of love’ rather than ‘laugh out loud’.

The emails and texts are also thought to include contacts between Mr Cameron and Andy Coulson, another ex-News of the World editor.

Downing Street sources stressed that the Leveson Inquiry had only requested the release of communications between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks that were ‘relevant’. A No 10 spokesman said: ‘All the material the inquiry asked for was given to them.’