PM defends his communications director but refuses to deny claims that Coulson offered to resign
- guardian.co.uk,
- Article history
David Cameron said today he has given Andy Coulson, his director of communications, a "second chance" following revelations about phone-hacking at News of the World when he was editor and warned that his aide should not be "punished twice for the same offence".
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the prime minister stood by his communication chief as he failed to quash weekend reports that Coulson offered to resign for the damage to the government caused by his involvement in a newspaper phone-hacking row.
But he notably did not say, as he as done in previous comments about the affair, that he accepted his PR chief's assurances that he had been unaware of hacking during his editorship of the tabloid.
Cameron said that "bad things happened" when Coulson was editor of the News of the World, but resigned "when he found out about them", which the prime minister said was "the right thing to do".
"I almost think there is a danger at the moment that he is effectively being punished twice for the same offence. I judge his work by what he has done for us ... I gave him a second chance. I think in life sometimes it's right to give someone a second chance. He resigned for what went wrong at News of the World. I would just argue working for the government, I think he has done a good job."
He added: "Of course he was embarrassed, but he has had a second chance from me to do this job. I think he has done the job in a very good way."
According to the Mail on Sunday, Coulson has admitted that the allegations concerning the bugging of celebrities' phones while he was editor of the News of the World are making it harder for him to carry out his duties at No 10.But the paper said Cameron and the chancellor, George Osborne, had turned down his offer to resign, instead offering him total support in his battle to clear his name.
Coulson quit as editor of the News of the World in 2007 over the phone-hacking row, but has always maintained he did not know it was going on.
Since then, a string of allegations have surfaced that have cast doubt on the notion that phone tapping at the paper was down to one rogue reporter, Clive Goodman, acting alone.
Pressed on the claims today that Coulson offered to quit over recent developments, Cameron refused to divulge "private conversations" other than to say that Coulson was "extremely embarrassed" by the reports "as anyone who is human would be".
But the prime minister said that he judged his staff on whether they were doing a "good job", telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Coulson "can't be responsible for the fact that people write articles about him".
It emerged last week that the Crown Prosecution Service is due to undertake a comprehensive review of phone-hacking material, including examining evidence that has emerged since the trial of Goodman, formerly royal editor at the News of the World, and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, including revelations published by the Guardian which suggest that phone-hacking was rife at the paper.
Coulson has always maintained he knew nothing about Goodman's actions.
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