Only 22% think Coulson should be spared

From @LabourList

In a poll of MPs, journalists and other communications people working at the highest level in politics – only 22% have stated that Andy Coulson’s job as the Tories’ media chief should remain safe, while a third believe it is too early to tell how serious this story could be for him.

In the poll, conducted for the PoliticsHome website, 68% of respondents said they were “shocked” by the revelation that the News of the World had hacked into high-profile people’s private phone conversations.

Meanwhile, 87% of the panel believe those with the most serious questions to answer are those on the senior editorial staff of the News of the World at the time, including Andy Coulson.

A non-aligned panellist said: “This is not going to go away and if it has been on the scale alleged then senior people – including Coulson – must have known.”

A Lib Dem panellist thought Coulson would stay but said: “he’s now going to be a target (a la Campbell)”.