British Prime Minister David Cameron has gone before a media ethics panel to testify about his relationship with media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Prime Minister Cameron ordered the court inquiry last July after Murdoch's News of the World tabloid was accused of hacking the phone of a murdered schoolgirl.

Mr. Cameron's relationship with Murdoch gained scrutiny after Mr. Cameron hired former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as his communications chief.

Coulson now faces corruption charges in connection with the phone hacking scandal.

The hacking allegations against News of the World trace back several years. In 2007, a News of the World reporter and a private investigator hired by the paper were jailed for intercepting the cell phone messages of British royal officials. The tabloid also is accused of hacking the phones of politicians and celebrities.

Some critics of the original investigation have suggested London police were too close to the newspaper, a claim the police deny.