Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg yesterday insisted it was for the police to decide how to proceed over the News of the World phone hacking row.
Mr Clegg, standing in for David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions, was asked whether he was “entirely satisfied” that No 10 communications chief Andy Coulson was unaware of the illegal activity while he was the newspaper’s editor.
Shadow justice secretary Jack Straw said: “Do you expect us to believe that the only person who knew nothing about phone hacking at the News of the World was the editor, the very man who the Prime Minister has brought into the heart of this Government?”
Mr Clegg told him: “What I expect and hope you believe is that it is now for the police to investigate whether these new charges and allegations have anything to them.”
Mr Straw asked Mr Clegg: “Are you entirely satisfied that, while Mr Coulson was editor of the News of the World, at no time was Mr Coulson aware of any use of unlawful hacking of telephones?”
The Deputy Prime Minister said: “This is a very serious offence indeed and an outrageous invasion of privacy and it is right that two individuals were convicted and imprisoned. As for Mr Coulson, he made it very clear that he took responsibility for something of which he had no knowledge at the News of the World and he refutes all the allegations that have been made to the contrary.
“That statement speaks for itself. It is now for the police and the police alone to decide whether new evidence has come to light which needs to be investigated.”
Mr Clegg added that former prime minister Gordon Brown spoke to Mr Coulson to say he had “done the honourable thing” following his resignation.
Mr Straw continued his attack, asking for a “yes or no” answer from Mr Clegg about whether he was satisfied that Mr Coulson had no knowledge about what was happening at the paper.
The Deputy Prime Minister said: “Mr Coulson has made it quite clear that he had no knowledge and he refutes all the allegations.”
He added: “While I, in a slightly rushed manner, was preparing for today, suspecting this issue might come up, I read in one of the briefing notes I received that, when Andy Coulson resigned from the News of the World, the first person to call to commiserate was Gordon Brown.
“He told him not to worry, that he had done the honourable thing and that he knew he would go on to do a worthwhile job.”
Mr Straw said Liberal Democrat Cabinet minister Chris Huhne had claimed in May that Mr Coulson was “either complicit in criminal activity or the most incompetent editor in Fleet Street”.
Lib Dem leader Mr Clegg said he was in “complete agreement” with Mr Huhne that “if new evidence has come to light ... the police will now actively look to see whether that evidence is worthy of further investigation”.
It was under Labour that it was decided no further action would be taken, he said, and attacked then home secretary Alan Johnson for now making “pious remarks” about the case.