Andy Coulson, the communications chief for British Prime Minister David Cameron, announced his resignation on Friday after months of pressure over phone-hacking claims at a paper he previously edited.
Coulson has been under strain for months over allegations of widespread hacking of cellphone messages by journalists at the News of the World at the time that he edited the paper, from which he resigned in 2007.
“I can today confirm that I’ve resigned as Downing Street director of communications,” Coulson said in a statement. “Unfortunately, continued coverage of events connected to my old job at the News of the World has made it difficult for me to give the 110% needed in this role.” — AFP