Judge to head News of the World hacking inquiry - Cameron

David Cameron defended his decision to appoint Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor, as director of communications, a job he later quit.

Labour leader Ed Miliband had called on the PM to apologise for the "appalling error of judgement" in employing Mr Coulson, editor from 2003 to 2007.

Mr Coulson is expected to be questioned later at a London police station.

Mr Cameron said: "I became friends with him and I think he did his job for me in a very effective way. He became a friend and he is a friend."

On Thursday News International shut down the News of the World following a spate of fresh revelations.

The 168-year-old tabloid is accused of hacking into phones of crime victims, celebrities and politicians. Police have identified 4,000 possible targets.

Mr Cameron said a second inquiry would look at the ethics and culture of the press and he also said the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) would be scrapped, adding: "I believe we need a new system entirely".

In January 2007 the News of the World's royal editor, Clive Goodman, and a private investigator, Glenn Mulcaire, were both jailed for plotting to intercept voicemail messages left for royal aides.

Mr Cameron said Mr Coulson had said he had been unaware of the phone hacking which had been going on during his tenure at the paper; Kazinform cites BBC News.

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