Andy Coulson leaves No 10 job

Prime minister's director of communications leaves Downing Street job 11 days after announcing he was stepping down

Andy Coulson has left his job as prime minister David Cameron's communications director, it was confirmed today - 11 days after he announced he was to step down.

No replacement has yet been announced for the former News of the World editor, who quit amid mounting controversy over phone hacking allegations.

But a Number 10 source said "good progress" had been made in identifying a successor and that Coulson chose to leave quietly after finishing "what he wanted to finish".

Coulson said last month he could no longer give his full attention to the job because of the drip-drip of claims about illegal eavesdropping under his editorship.

Scotland Yard has since launched a fresh investigation of hacking allegations.

The source said: "He had finished what he wanted to finish and good progress is being made with his replacement.

"It was his choice to leave quietly but he said a proper goodbye to the prime minister and those he worked closely with."

Coulson resigned as editor of the News of the World in 2007 after the paper's former royal editor, Clive Goodman, and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed for phone hacking.

Although he accepted ultimate responsibility for the illegal activities, he has always denied knowing they were taking place.

Coulson's last day in the job at No 10 was yesterday, the source said.


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