This is a leader I wrote for an online news day on 25/02/11.
The departure of Andy Coulson will raise questions about David Cameron's judgement
The thinking behind the timing of Andy Coulson’s decision to resign as Downing Street Director of Communications was politics at its most calculating.
He had made his mind up two days ago. Today seemed like a good day to bury the bad news.
The torrent of speculation surrounding Alan Johnson’s departure from his position as Shadow Chancellor was still swirling. The latest rumours suggest that Johnson’s wife was having an affair with his police protection officer.
And of course a certain tanned ex-Prime Minister was back in town, giving evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War for a second time.
Clearly David Cameron and his circle thought that these two events would take the sting out of the news. Tony Blair discussing the decision to invade Iraq would be the story.
Wrong.
As soon as Coulson’s departure was announced, the BBC and Sky News broke away from their Chilcot coverage, and you could almost smell the burnt shoe leather as political hacks beat a hasty retreat back to Downing Street.
Coulson said he had ‘had enough’. Maybe Cameron had as well. When your spokesman becomes the story something has to done. As Coulson himself said: “When the spokesman needs a spokesman, it’s time to move on.”
But everyone will not just ‘move on’. This raises questions about David Cameron’s judgement in hiring Coulson in the first place. The prime minister knew about the phone hacking allegations when he appointed him. He knew questions would follow.
David Cameron could have taken this decision a long time ago, or indeed not appointed Coulson in the first place. He did not have to be punished for the same offence twice.
It must be remembered that Coulson has not been found guilty of any crime, but the activities of the News of the World’s Royal Editor Clive Goodman happened on his watch. Many find it hard to believe he could not have known something like that was going on.
There are whispers that the paper’s news editor Ian Edmondson was set to implicate him in the scandal.
Perhaps the Coalition thought they could pre-empt such a revelation. The risk has backfired.
Andy Coulson will continue being the story for some time yet.
