London - Prime Minister David Cameron cut his trade mission to Africa from four days to two on Monday as pressure mounted at home for him to take control of the escalating phone-hacking scandal.
Cameron's spokesperson said the Conservative Party leader decided at the end of last week to shorten the visit to two days.
The spokesperson would not explicitly link the shortening of the trip with the phone-hacking affair that on Sunday led to the resignation of Britain's most senior police officer, Paul Stephenson.
Asked why he had decided to continue with the visit to South Africa and Nigeria, the spokesperson said Cameron had a number of roles and responsibilities: "One of them is the economy" and promoting British business, he said. An aide added that Cameron was "very busy."
Cameron will be joined on the trade visit by business leaders including Barclays CEO Bob Diamond.