LONDON -- British Prime Minister David Cameron gave his full backing Thursday to a top Cabinet minister who has denied rumors that he is gay and that he had a relationship with a young aide.

Mr. Cameron said Foreign Secretary William Hague enjoyed his "100 percent support" in spite of what some pundits are calling "the Hague affair" -- and what the minister himself vigorously insists was a non-affair.

Mr. Hague, who is married, said in an unusually personal statement earlier this week that any allegation of an "improper relationship" between him and Christopher Myers was "utterly false." Although only 25 and with little experience in foreign policy, Mr. Myers was appointed as one of three special advisers to Mr. Hague, 49, because of his "commitment and political talent," the statement said.

Britain's top diplomat added that rumors of strain between him and his wife, Ffion, were baseless, but the couple has been under some stress recently from unsuccessful efforts to have children and from the grief of multiple miscarriages.

With its intimate details of his marriage, Mr. Hague's statement came in response to a fellow Conservative Party member's blog item over the weekend that noted how Mr. Hague and Mr. Myers sometimes shared a hotel room while campaigning during Britain's general election in May. The item described the two men's "body language at breakfast" as "eye-opening."

News outlets pounced on the gossip and published photos of Mr. Hague and Mr. Myers walking along together and smiling -- scenes hardly unusual for a boss and an employee. But the stories questioned why Mr. Hague had hired such a foreign policy neophyte at public expense, and why he had three "special advisers," rather than the customary two.

Even fellow Conservatives have criticized Mr. Hague for showing poor judgment, especially in sharing a hotel room with an aide, which he termed an innocent occurrence.

Mr. Myers, who has made no comment to British media, has stepped down from his position "as a result of the pressure," Mr. Hague's statement said.

On Thursday Mr. Hague said he felt moved to issue such a personal and lengthy statement because he and his wife had "had enough of circulation of untrue allegations." Coincidentally, he spoke at a news conference with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who is openly gay.

News now that a senior British politician is or might be gay is usually greeted by a yawn. But after a major scandal last year over abuse of parliamentary expense accounts, the British media have become particularly vigilant for any signs of personal relationships with financial implications, such as the hiring of a special adviser.

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