By. Vanessa Allen. Andy Coulson, pictured outside the Old Bailey in London during his trial. Andy Coulson would not have been appointed as Conservative Party spin doctor if he had admitted he knew about phone hacking at the News of the World, his trial heard yesterday. The former editor told the hacking trial he doubted the job would have been given to him if he had revealed he knew his newspaper had hacked David Blunkett's messages. Coulson, 46, has told the jury he met David Cameron and George Osborne ahead of his appointment as the Tories’ director of communications in 2007, and that he took on that role at No10 after the 2010 election. He was not asked about what he said during those meetings, but conceded that he was unlikely to have been given the job if his role in the Blunkett expose had been known. Coulson has now admitted he was played voicemails from the then Home Secretary to his married lover, Kimberley Fortier, before the Labour politician was confronted over the affair. He conceded the messages were hacked but denies he was part of a six-year conspiracy of ‘industrial-scale phone hacking’ at the now defunct tabloid. Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, asked: ‘If what you had done in relation to Blunkett had become public, you would never have got that job, would you?’ Coulson replied: ‘It may be that if I had explained what I have explained to the jury now, the job would not have been offered to me.’ He told the Old Bailey the Blunkett tapes were the ‘first and only’ time he heard hacked messages and denied his role in the affair meant he was part of a ‘cover-up’ at News International. During nine days of evidence he has denied knowing that several of his staff were involved in hacking phones, including journalists Dan Evans, Greg Miskiw and James Weatherup, who have all admitted phone hacking. He also admitted his royal editor Clive Goodman appeared to have accessed the phone records of Prince Harry’s then girlfriend Chelsy Davy while he was at Sandhurst military academy. Goodman. sent Coulson an email claiming the blonde was ‘driving Harry nuts’ by. bombarding him with texts and calls, including 60 calls to the young. royal in one month. Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson admitted his royal editor Clive Goodman appeared to have accessed the phone records of Chelsy Davy, pictured right, the former girlfriend of Prince Harry, pictured left, while he was at Sandhurst military academy. File picture. Andy Coulson has said Prime Minister David Cameron, left, may never have hired him as Tory spin doctor if he knew of hacking at News of the World. The former editor has now admitted he was played voicemails from the then Home Secretary David Blunkett, right, to his married lover, Kimberley Fortier, before the Labour politician was confronted over the affair. He wrote:. ‘Chelsy is driving Harry nuts, she won’t leave Harry alone... She’s. blitzing him with dozens of calls and texts when he should be. concentrating on his training. ‘Family likes her well enough but they’re worried that she’s incredibly needy just at the time when Harry needs to be concentrating on himself.’ Coulson said he remembered journalists discussing ‘phone traffic’ and said he should have considered if that meant they were in breach of the Data Protection Act, by accessing mobile phone records, but told the court he had not fully understood the legislation. Coulson, a married father-of-three, denies he was part of a conspiracy to hack phone or corrupt public officials. All seven defendants in the case, including Goodman, 56, deny the charges against them. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Write highlights for this article.
Andy Coulson denies being part of conspiracy to hack phones at News of the World. Says he may not have got Tory spin doctor job if he had admitted he knew about hacking. Admits he was played voicemails from David Blunkett to his married lover. Claims Blunkett tapes was 'first and only time' he heard hacked messages.