communications director for the prime minister. >> nor do i have any recollection of instances where phone hacking took place. >> i have stood by andy and been requested to tap phones or hack into them. he was well aware that the practice exists. >> reporter: in parliament, the conservative home secretary, the nation's top cop, deflected calls for a new investigation. but the left-leaning labour party here smells blood. >> surely, if this murky affair rumbles on, will the prime minister come and make a statement, relieving coulson of his job? >> reporter: a tabloid scandal where the tabloid is the headline and has the potential to become the first political scandal for the new government here. miguel marquez, abc news, london. >> what a scary thought, a scary world. people can hack into your cell phone messages now. >> exactly. verbatim. that's the news for this half hour. coming up, more news from abc. >> remember, follow us on facebook where you can check out "the ski