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Mr Coulson took responsibility for something he had no knowledge of at the News of the World and he refutes all allegations made to the contrary
Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg was pressed over Andy Coulson's involvement in the News of the World phone hacking row when he stood in for David Cameron and prime minister's questions today.
Deputising for acting Labour leader Harriet Harman at the dispatch box, shadow justice secretary Jack Straw asked the deputy prime minister whether he was satisfied that Coulson, now Downing Street director of communications, was at no time aware of "unlawful hacking of telephones" while he was editor of the tabloid.
Clegg said the allegations were a "very serious offence indeed" and that while phone hacking was an "outrageous invasion of privacy" Coulson denied all the charges made against him.
"It was right that two people were convicted and imprisoned," he said.
"Mr Coulson took responsibility for something he had no knowledge of at the News of the World and he refutes all allegations made to the contrary.
"It is now for the police and the police alone to decide whether new evidence has come to light."
However Straw accused the deputy prime minister of avoiding the question as to whether he personally was satisfied that Coulson had not been involved.
But again Clegg said Coulson rejected the claims, and went on to tell MPs of a briefing note he had read in his rushed preparations for the session.
"When Coulson resigned, the first person to call to commiserate was Gordon Brown," Clegg said.
"He told him not to worry, that he had done the honourable thing and he knew he would go on to do a worthwhile job.
And he said he was not going to take any lessons from the party that "spent all it's time in office backbiting against each other through leaks and counter leaks in the press. The party of the dodgy dossier, of Damian McBride".
Arguing that Straw, a former justice secretary and home secretary, should know better, Clegg said: ""We've got a war in Afghanistan, a flood in Pakistan and he is inviting us to second guess the police."
But Straw remained unconvinced by Clegg's responses.
"Does the deputy prime minister expect us to believe that the only person that new nothing about the phone hacking was the editor?" he said.
And the spotlight is set to remain on Coulson for at least another day after the Speaker of the House of Commons has allowed MPs to debate the issue in the Commons chamber tomorrow following a request from Labour MP Chris Bryant, who fears his phone was hacked by the News of the World.
Clegg had to fill in for Cameron after the prime minister flew to France to be with his father Ian, who suffered a stroke while on holiday there.
The deputy prime minister said he believed he spoke for the entire House when he sent the prime minister, his father and their family "all best wishes at this difficult time".
It was Clegg's second appearance at prime minister's questions, having stood in for Cameron in July when the prime minister was abroad.
Cameron's absence also handed Jack Straw an unexpected second go at representing Labour at parliamentary week's showpiece event.
Straw said he had hoped the first prime minister's question time of the session would allow the House to congratulate Cameron on the birth of his new child.
"That sadly is tinged with the dreadful news about the prime minister's father," he said.
"May I saw on behalf of the Opposition I am absolutely certain he has made exactly right decision to be where he knows he has to be, with his father and his family!.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister was informed this morning that his father, Ian, is seriously ill after suffering a stroke and heart complications while on holiday in France.
"After talking to doctors at the hospital, the prime minister has decided to fly to be with his father and mother Mary.
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