Met will talk to Cameron aide over 'phone hacking' as MPs launch new inquiry

Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said the decision had been made after Scotland Yard's senior investigator raised questions over the law as he gave evidence this morning.

Scotland Yard will almost certainly interview one of David Cameron's senior aides over alleged phone-hacking. Assistant commissioner John Yates said he expected to meet Andy Coulson, the Conservatives' director of communication and planning, after new claims were made that he sanctioned illegal eavesdropping while editor of the News of the World.

"I imagine that we will be meeting Mr Coulson at some point," revealed the detective during a grilling by senior MPs.

"We will take it stage by stage, but we've already said we would consider any new material, ever since these fresh allegations emerged last July."

The Yard is under pressure from Labour and some Liberal Democrat MPs over its original investigation. Mr Yates was repeatedly asked by members of the committee why leads were not investigated and possible culprits were left alone.

The furore comes three years after NoW royal editor Clive Goodman and a private detective were jailed for breaking into mobile phone message banks belonging to royalty and celebrities.

Mr Yates insisted that the original probe had been "a success". "We clarified the law and ... a very significant deterrent was sent to all people who may or may not have been involved in these kind of activities," he told the committee.

Mr Coulson resigned as NoW editor despite denying he knew what was going on. But former journalist Sean Hoare alleges that Mr Coulson both knew and sanctioned the dirty tricks. Hoare was sacked from the paper because of drug and drink abuse.

Mr Yates said that he expected to meet Hoare and take evidence from him.

In other developments today, the Metropolitan Police were locked in a dispute with the New York Times, which broke Hoare's claims and alleged that hacking was rife at the NoW. Scotland Yard asked for it to show detectives its files — but the paper refused. Mr Yates said he would appeal to the newspaper again.

Bill Keller, executive editor of the NYT, said in a statement: "Scotland Yard has declined our repeated requests for interviews and refused to release information we requested months ago under the British freedom of information law.

"After our story was published, Scotland Yard expressed renewed interest in the case and asked us to provide interview materials and notes; we declined, as we would with any such request from police. Our story speaks for itself and makes clear that the police already have evidence that they have chosen not to pursue."