Did Andy Coulson Lie? He Told Parliament He Had No Income From News International While Working For David Cameron
ROBERT Peston, the BBC reporter who stresses the wrong WORD when talking, says Andy Coulson, who went from being the former editor of the News Of The World to being David Cameron’s former spin doctor, was being paid by Rupert Murdoch’s News International while on Cameron’s staff. As Peston writes:
Andy Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World who has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in phone hacking and bribing the police, received several hundred thousand pounds from News International after starting work as the Conservative Party’s Director of Communications in July 2007.
It’s all a big stinky
As I understand it, after Mr Coulson resigned from News International on 26 January 2007, News International said it would pay him his full entitlement under his two-year contract as editor of the News of the World – although the money would be paid in instalments. I am told that Mr Coulson also continued to receive his News International work benefits, such as healthcare, for three years, and he kept his company car.
Mr Coulson was appointed as the Conservative Party’s Director of Communications on 31 May 2007 and took up the post in July of that year. He was reportedly paid £275,000 a year by the Conservative Party.
You may recall what Andy Coulson told the House of Commons Culture, Media Sport committee in July 2009: – and this is priceless:
Tom Watson: Just one last round of questioning. You knew that you were going to resign before sentencing but on the day of sentencing you resigned from the paper.
Mr Coulson: I actually resigned two weeks before I announced it.
Tom Watson: Two weeks before. And did you get a redundancy payment for that?
Mr Coulson: I got what was contractually due to me. Obviously I did not work my notice so I received what was contractually due.
Tom Watson: Then you were six months out of work.
Mr Coulson: About five months.
Tom Watson: And then you went work directly for the Conservative Party.
Mr Coulson: That is right.
Tom Watson: And you have not got any secondary income other than that have you?
Mr Coulson: No.
Tom Watson: So your sole income was News International and then your sole income was the Conservative Party?.
Mr Coulson: Yes.
It’s the papers of record…
Posted: 24th, August 2011 | In: Reviews Comments (3) | TrackBack | Permalink
