Brooks to face more charges

British Prime Minister David Cameron's friend, Rebekah Brooks, the former boss of Murdoch's British newspaper business, was told yesterday that she would be charged with conspiring to authorise payments of about £100000 to a member of the Ministry of Defence to generate stories.

Brooks will appear at the Westminster Magistrate's Court on November 29. Her lawyers were not immediately available to comment but she has previously denied any wrongdoing.

Brooks, a former Sun and News of the World editor, has already been charged with conspiring to hack into phones and with attempts to pervert the course of justice.

Instantly recognisable for her long, curly red hair, Brooks had previously been courted by prime ministers from Tony Blair to Cameron.

Andy Coulson, Cameron's former media chief, will also face charges of conspiring to pay officials for private information on the royal family during his time as a tabloid editor, prosecutors said yesterday.

The prosecutor's decision is a blow to the reputation of the British prime minister, who has been forced to defend his hiring of Coulson since a phone-hacking scandal exploded last year at the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World tabloid.

Critics say that Eton-educated Cameron - who meets Queen Elizabeth once a week - ignored warnings about Coulson's reputation to appoint him to shape his media strategy to connect better with ordinary voters.

Since resigning last year, Coulson has been charged with conspiracy to hack into phone messages and perjury, possible first steps to what would be politically charged court cases. He said he would fight the latest charges.

"Following charge, these individuals will appear before Westminster Magistrate's Court," said public prosecutor Alison Levitt.

The string of charges have marked the fall from grace of two of Britain's most connected media executives, and have embarrassed both Cameron and their boss, Murdoch.