PM Stands By His Defence Secretary

The Prime Minister, David Cameron is backing his beleaguered Defence Secretary Liam Fox over a weekend scandal.

The PM said today that he should be given time to answer questions about his working relationship with his friend Adam Werritty who is alleged to have been given unprecedented access to sometimes secret work being undertaken by the Conservative Cabinet Minister.

Speaking ahead of a House of Common's session this afternoon when Mr Fox will face questions over his friendship with Mr Werritty - who has no government role or national security clearance - yet who sat in on several meetings with Mr Fox, the PM said "rushing" would lead to "trial by the media", adding that he believed Mr Fox would "come through all of this".

The PM is waiting for the results of a Ministry of Defence inquiry into his Minister's conduct, while he himself is now answering questions from MPs after he has denied wrongdoing - but has admitted mistakes and apologised.

Liam Fox who comes from, Scotland, studied medicine at the University of Glasgow and worked as an NHS general practitioner (GP) in Nailsea, Somerset and served as a Civilian Army Medical Officer.

He was elected as the Conservative MP for Woodspring at the 1992 and after holding several ministerial roles in John Major's Conservative government, Fox entered the Shadow Cabinet in 1998, holding the positions of Constitutional Affairs Spokesman (1998-1999), Shadow Health Secretary (1999–2003), Conservative Party chairman (2003–05), Shadow Foreign Secretary (2005) and Shadow Defence Secretary (2005–10).

When the Conservatives entered government in 2010, Mr Fox was appointed the Secretary of State for Defence.

(BMcC/GK)