Andy Coulson 'happy to speak to police'
Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson told police today that he would be happy to meet them voluntarily to discuss fresh phone-hacking allegations.
Friends stressed that he had not been contacted by police, but a spokesman for the former News of the World editor said he would be prepared to co-operate with Scotland Yard following claims by ex-NoW journalist Sean Hoare.
A spokesman for Mr Coulson said: "Andy Coulson has today told the Metropolitan Police that he is happy to voluntarily meet with them following allegations made by Sean Hoare.
"Mr Coulson emphatically denies these allegations. He has, however, offered to talk to officers if the need arises and would welcome the opportunity to give his view on Mr Hoare's claims."
Mr Hoare has claimed Mr Coulson knew of eavesdropping tactics used at the newspaper during his time in charge, something he has consistently denied.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates said today that he would be prepared to investigate Mr Hoare's allegations, which first surfaced in the New York Times.
Mr Coulson came under renewed pressure last week after former journalists told the US paper that the practice of phone hacking was far more extensive than the News of the World acknowledged at the time.
Labour MPs and ex-deputy prime minister Lord Prescott have called for a fresh inquiry, and Lord Prescott is also seeking clarification from the Met over whether his phone was tapped.
Mr Yates told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "We have always said that if any new material, new evidence, was produced we would consider it."
Of Mr Hoare's allegation, Mr Yates said: "It is new and we will consider it and be consulting with the Crown Prosecution Service before we do.
"This is the first time we have heard of Mr Hoare or anything he has to say. We focused our resources where we thought we could get the best evidence.
"He has come from nowhere. We are surprised that the New York Times did not alert us to this information earlier than they did.
"We have to focus our investigation where we can get the best evidence, not go on a wild goose chase."
He refused to speculate on how many people's phones may have been hacked but stressed : "All I would say is we take our obligations regarding telling victims very seriously.
"There's a misunderstanding here that suggests just because your name features in a private investigator's files, your phone has been hacked.
"The fact that John Prescott's name appears on an invoice does not mean his phone has been hacked. It means he is of interest to a private investigator. That's what private investigators do.
"I believe there is no evidence that his phone has been hacked. I have made that very clear on a number of occasions."
Asked if the original probe had been mishandled, Mr Yates said: "No. I absolutely don't accept that. This was a very, very thorough inquiry. It resulted in the conviction of two people, it resulted in a very complex area of law being clarified and it sent an extremely strong deterrent to other people."
The NoW's former royal editor, Clive Goodman, and a private investigator used by the newspaper were jailed in 2007 following phone hacking revelations.
Mr Coulson said at the time that he had not known of the practice but resigned his editorship, before joining then Tory leader David Cameron as communications boss, moving with him into No 10.
In a statement released today, the News of the World accused the New York Times of being motivated by commercial rivalry.
It said: "The News of the World repeatedly asked the New York Times to provide evidence to support their allegations and they were unable to do so.
"Indeed, the story they published contained no new credible evidence and relied heavily on anonymous sources, contrary to the paper's own editorial guidelines.
"In so doing, they have undermined their own reputation and confirmed our suspicion their story was motivated by commercial rivalry.
"We reject absolutely any suggestion there was a widespread culture of wrongdoing at the News of the World."
Friends of Mr Coulson were keen to stress today that his statement was not prompted by a police approach, and pointed out that a new investigation had not yet even been launched by Scotland Yard.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said today that Mr Cameron was "completely happy with the job Mr Coulson is doing".
The spokesman added: "The reports that have been in the media over the weekend do not change the situation for the Prime Minister. Andy Coulson has been clear in denying the allegations that have been made.
"Clearly, if the police want to look at this, then that is a matter for them and we would not want to interfere."
Mr Yates is bound to be quizzed about the phone-hacking affair when he appears before MPs at the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee tomorrow afternoon, in his role as the yard's Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations.
He is due to answer questions about "topical aspects of his role".
There will also be pressure from Labour MPs for the Government to make a Commons statement on the issue this afternoon, on their first day back at Westminster after the summer break.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/met-could-reopen-phone-hacking-case-2071512.html
Phone-hacking row returns to haunt Cameron's chief spin doctor
The Prime Minister's media adviser Andy Coulson faces being summoned to court to give evidence over further allegations of phone-hacking by reporters from the News of the World during the time he was editing the newspaper.
The Independent understands that George Galloway, the former MP, has instructed his lawyers not to consider any out-of-court settlement in a claim for breach of privacy unless Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers, owners of the News of the World, are prepared to make full disclosure of the paper's involvement in phone-hacking.
The spectacle of Mr Coulson being cross-examined on his evidence before a jury is an embarrassing prospect for David Cameron, who has repeatedly said his spin doctor deserves a "second chance" after resigning over the phone-hacking scandal in 2007.
On an awful day for the Downing Street spin machine, there was speculation that the Foreign Secretary William Hague would resign because of smears over his relationship with his aide Christopher Myers. A statement by Mr Hague, defending his marriage, was released on Mr Coulson's advice on Wednesday, just as fresh information was emerging in the phone-hacking scandal. Senior Tories said Mr Hague's statement had shown poor judgement.
In a further blow to News Group, it also emerged that a News of the World reporter, named by The Guardian last night as Dan Evans, who has been with the News of the World since 2005 and specialises is celebrity scoops, is currently "suspended from reporting duties" following a complaint by a female television personality that her voicemail was intercepted this year.
The development comes after guarantees were given to a select committee of MPs by senior Murdoch executives that "rigorous new safeguards" had been put in place in 2007 to prevent such behaviour. Mr Galloway lodged a claim for a minimum of £300,000 in damages in the High Court in July, claiming his voicemail was illegally intercepted between February 2005 and August 2006, when Coulson was editing the News of the World.
The Independent has learnt that Mr Galloway was advised by police to change his mobile telephone or to alter the security pin number on his voicemail after his name was found on a list compiled by Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator who worked for the News of the World. Mr Galloway subsequently changed his mobile. Mulcaire was jailed in 2007 along with the News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman after the pair were convicted of hacking into the phone messages of royal aides.
Since then, two other alleged victims of the phone-hacking, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association Gordon Taylor and the publicist Max Clifford, have sued News Group for damages. Both claimants accepted substantial settlements before the cases came to court.
But Mr Galloway, the former Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, is anxious that the case is fully aired in public. A source close to the case said: "He's not interested in the money. George doesn't want to be bought off. If he settled without disclosure there would always be the suspicion that News Group had only settled for the nuisance factor. What he wants is the truth as to the extent of the phone-hacking. With Andy Coulson now in Downing Street he feels there is an establishment cover-up."
Mr Galloway believes that more than 100 people were the target of phone-hacking by the News of the World and he hopes a court hearing will help others to come forward. The former MP was the target of a sting operation by Mazher Mahmood, the News of the World's undercover reporter, in 2006.
The politician has claimed that Mr Mahmood tried and failed to implicate him in Holocaust denial and financial irregularities. As a reprisal, Mr Galloway released an image of Mr Mahmood, who is known as the "Fake Sheikh", with News Group taking legal action to try to prevent him from doing so. At around the same time Mr Galloway was warned by police to change his mobile phone, although there is no suggestion that Mr Mahmood was linked to any phone-hacking.
News Group is due to issue its defence to the Galloway claim next week. In a statement, it said it was seeking clarification on the matter from the Metropolitan Police. "The News of the World has absolutely no knowledge or evidence that Mr Galloway's voicemail was accessed."
Other names believed to be on the list in possession of Mulcaire include Sir Ian Blair, the former Commissioner of the Met, Michael Fuller, a former senior Scotland Yard officer, and Brian Paddick, a former deputy assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard.
Joanne McCartney, a Labour member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, has written to Sir Paul Stephenson, the Met Commissioner, demanding to be told if reporters or investigators for News International ever hacked into the phones of senior officers and if this could have influenced the investigation.
Further cases against the media group are expected to be launched in weeks to come, with an action by the former England footballer Paul Gascoigne being filed by the end of next month. His lawyer, Gerald Shamash, said: "I've no doubt that Paul's phone was tapped. He's absolutely adamant about it."
On Sunday, The New York Times will publish a lengthy account of the phone-hacking scandal – already released online – alleging that Mr Coulson "talked freely" with colleagues about hacking. One former News of the World reporter Sean Hoare, who was to be dismissed amidst drug and alcohol problems, told The New York Times he had even played recordings of hacked messages to Coulson. "He actively encouraged me to do it," he claimed.
His nemesis? How justice favours George Galloway
* In 2004, George Galloway won a £150,000 libel victory over The Daily Telegraph after it alleged that the former MP received £375,000 a year from Saddam Hussein's regime – money it was alleged was diverted from the oil-for-food programme which was there to help suffering Iraqis. The story was based on documents translated into English from Arabic and found in the ruins of Baghdad by a Daily Telegraph reporter. Mr Galloway's claim was heard by Mr Justice Eady, who awarded in Mr Galloway's favour. The Telegraph eventually lost an appeal on the day that Mr Galloway was kicked out of the Big Brother house.
* The Christian Science Monitor published a story on its front page alleging that Mr Galloway had taken £6.5m from Saddam in cash and cheques, based on documents it had been passed. The documents turned out to be forgeries and the paper printed an apology. Mr Galloway rejected it and pursued a libel claim. He eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
* After Mr Galloway gave a rousing performance when called to give evidence to the US Senate, using it as an opportunity to attack American foreign policy, he was accused of giving false "or misleading" testimony under oath. Mr Galloway responded by inviting charges of perjury, claiming that the Senate had been embarrassed by his criticism. No charges were made.
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