Cameron seeks to soothe worried backbenchers

Just passed a rather stern-faced David Cameron marching towards the chamber deep in thought. He’s been frustrated at being out of the country, I hear, frustrated even more that Murdoch-mania is dominating the media.

But before he starts speaking, just a word about his appearance at the 1922 Comittee meeting later. It had been meant to happen last Wednesday, but the PM withdrew on the basis that he would remain in the Chamber throughout the opposition debate on Murdoch etc. In fact, David Cameron didn’t enter the chamber for that entire debate, only turning up at 6.59pm to make sure he voted against the BSkyB deal if a vote happened (it didn’t). Tory MPs noticed that and weren’t hugely impressed.

Number 10 then said they’d try to do an appearance this Monday and delay the (already foreshortened) Africa trip a little. But President Zuma seems to have said something along the lines of I’m busy too actually. And there was Libya on the agenda in South Africa.

When the 1922 heard that Parliament was being extended by  a day with today’s emergency debate and statement on phone-hacking etc, senior members spotted an opportunity (before No. 10 did) and invited the PM to attend. No. 10 agreed.

All sounds a bit micro? One 1922 committee member said to be that quite a few MPs were “unhappy” and it played into the narrative that David Cameron sees them as “an afterthought”.

I’ve mentioned before the grumblings on the Tory backbenches and Mr Cameron will need to reassure them when he sees them at 5pm today that he respects them, is on top of things re phone-hacking but also that he is not going to be distracted from deficit reduction and public sector reform while preparing endless reactions to ever-changing Murdoch-related events.

Preparing for today’s debate, I hear that Ed Miliband’s team has been trawling through the Westland debate and the hash made by Neil Kinnock of that golden opportunity to dent the Government. The biggest mistake then was to fire off on too many fronts…not a mistake the Labour leader wants to repeat.

I see, sitting in the Commons for the PM’s statement, that Lord Levy has made a rare visit to the Lords gallery to watch. Perhaps he couldn’t resist listening to the demise of AC John Yates.