The Parliamentary session was extended by an extra day to debate the unfolding allegations surrounding the hacking of phones by those employed by News International under the editorship of Andy Coulson, who later became David Cameron's Director of Communication in Downing Street.

Sharon used the opportunity to challenge the Prime Minister to say whether any confidential information on the ongoing investigation by Scotland Yard could have been seen by Mr Coulson during his time in Downing Street - something which the Prime Minister categorically denied. The question followed the publication of an email exchange between the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff and the Met police officer leading the investigation, in which the latter offered to brief the former.

The full exchange was as follows:

Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Sunderland West) (Lab): Will the Prime Minister give the House a categorical assurance that Andy Coulson, during his time working in Downing street, never saw any briefings on the police investigation into hacking, nor had any involvement in the Government's response to it?

The Prime Minister: I have made the point that it is not routine for people in Downing street to be given operational information about a police investigation. That was the whole thing that my chief of staff was rightly trying to prevent. Let me take the hon. Lady back to the time when Tony Blair was Prime Minister and there was an investigation into cash for honours. Just imagine if the police had pitched up and started briefing officials with operational intelligence. It would have been an appalling thing, and I cannot understand why she asks that question.

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