Search: David Cameron hacking scandal Neil Wallis Andy Coulson Conservatives
David Cameron is expecting to face questions from MPs about his party's links to a phone hacking suspect as he prepares to make an emergency statement on the scandal to the House of Commons.
The Prime Minister arrived home from a shortened trip to Africa on Tuesday night as it was revealed that his communications chief in opposition, Andy Coulson, may have been advised by Neil Wallis in the run-up to the general election.
In his statement Mr Cameron will announce the names of the panel that will look at press regulation and the final terms of reference for the judge-led inquiry into claims about phone hacking and illegal payments to police.
But, after Rupert and James Murdoch, Rebekah Brooks and senior police officers were grilled in an extraordinary series of Commons committee hearings, the Prime Minister will now be in the firing line.
Aides have indicated that he expects to be questioned by MPs on the admission last night that Mr Coulson, ex-News of the World editor, may have received help from Mr Wallis, former deputy editor at the same newspaper. Both men have been arrested and bailed in connection with the Scotland Yard hacking inquiry.
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A Conservative spokesman has insisted Mr Wallis was never employed by the Conservative Party and had not been paid. He added: "It has been drawn to our attention that he may have provided Andy Coulson with some informal advice on a voluntary basis before the election. We are currently finding out the exact nature of any advice. We can confirm that apart from Andy Coulson, neither David Cameron nor any senior member of the campaign team were aware of this until this week."
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt defended Mr Cameron, saying he "didn't have a crystal ball" but has made big decisions "to sort this out".
He told the BBC: "What we've seen is that he's recalled Parliament, he's got an independent police inquiry, he's got an independent judge-led inquiry, he's published all the meetings he's had with media owners and said in the future ministers will publish all the meetings that they have with media proprietors, so he's done more in a couple of weeks than I think any other prime minister has done in a couple of decades and I think that is the key judgment call that the people of Britain will be looking for him to make."
Mr Hunt said the Murdochs' committee hearing had shown that "so much wrongdoing seemed to happen without the knowledge of the people at the top".
He added: "They did say that apology isn't enough - they have to demonstrate through what they do, not what they say, that they're putting it right. But it does seem like a huge amount was going wrong in that organisation and no one felt it necessary to tell the person at the top, and I think that was something that will have worried a lot of people."
