We’ll sort out this corruption - Cameron

He insisted he would not allow the controversy to distract his attention from voters’ priorities, like the economy, immigration and jobs.

Speaking after talks with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in Lagos, Mr Cameron said he did not under-estimate the importance of the questions raised by the phone-hacking row.

“Parts of the media committed dreadful illegal acts, the police have serious questions to answer about potential corruption and about failed investigations, politicians have been too close to media owners,” said the PM.

“These are big problems but we are a big country and we will sort them out.”

Mr Cameron said he would use a statement to the House of Commons tomorrow to give more details of the inquiry he has launched into the phone-hacking allegations.

“The British people want an independent media acting within the law, they want an independent police force always ready to pursue the evidence wherever it goes and politicians who are prepared to work together in the public good to get this problem sorted.”

But he insisted that the public did not want politicians to “lose our focus” on wider issues in the midst of the furore.

He added: “We are not going to take our eye off the ball of getting our economy to grow, making sure there are jobs, making sure there is a strong immigration system.”

Asked for his response to the death of former News of the World reporter Sean Hoare, whose body was found in unexplained circumstances at his Watford home yesterday, Mr Cameron said: “The death of anyone is a tragedy for that person.

“We should all think of the friends and loved ones of Mr Hoare and what has happened to him. That should be uppermost in our thoughts.”

He was challenged over former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson’s evidence to a Commons committee today that a senior official at 10 Downing Street advised him not to tell the PM about the appointment of ex-News of the World journalist Neil Wallis as a media adviser.

Mr Cameron said: “I spoke to Sir Paul Stephenson on Tuesday night. We had a good discussion about the difficulties that the Metropolitan Police were facing. He had my full support in what he was doing.

“It wouldn’t be normal for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner to share a whole range of operational detail about particular operations with the Prime Minister. I wouldn’t expect him to do that.

“What I said to him privately is the same as what I said to him publicly, which is that his force should pursue the evidence wherever it goes. And that, it seems to me, is exactly what it is doing, and that is why there has been the arrests of people including Mr Wallis.”

Addressing the resignations of Sir Paul and assistant commissioner John Yates, the PM said: “Paul Stephenson and John Yates have made their decisions. They have made honourable decisions. I thank them for the service they have given.”