Former aide lifts lid on Blair's links with Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul, had so much influence over Tony Blair's government in its early days that he was like "the 24th member of the Cabinet", according to a former Downing Street spin doctor.

Lance Price, deputy to Alastair Campbell, the Prime Minister's press secretary, from 1998 to 2001, implied that the silent presence of Mr Murdoch in government deliberations was one of No 10's most sensitive secrets.

Speaking at the Hay Festival, he revealed that when he submitted his book, The Spin Doctor's Diary, for vetting, there were more objections to references to Mr Murdoch than to anything he wrote about Mr Blair's fraught relationship with Gordon Brown.

"The close relationship between Tony Blair, New Labour and Rupert Murdoch was a double-edged sword," he said. "It won the government invaluable support from the News International stable, but at a high price.

"The Prime Minister's meetings with Mr Murdoch were often treated like state secrets. His voice was rarely heard ... but his presence was always felt."