Andy Coulson survived an initial onslaught over allegations of illegal phone hacking but stonewalled questions about how much he knew while he was Editor of the News of the World.

David Cameron gave his director of communications strong backing yesterday despite intense political pressure over allegations of widespread criminal activity by journalists during Mr Coulson’s editorship.

Mr Coulson now faces detailed questioning by MPs. Both the Commons Culture Committee and Home Affairs Committee are to hold inquiries within days into claims of hacking.

The Standards and Privileges Committee was also urged to examine whether the Tories’ spin-doctor should hold a parliamentary pass.

Mr Cameron was careful to balance his support for Mr Coulson, whom he appointed two years ago, with a condemnation of unlawful intrusion into privacy.

Nevertheless, the Conservatives face the uncomfortable prospect of being asked whether the alleged tapping of the telephones of Cabinet ministers, MPs from all parties and celebrities was justified while Mr Coulson was in charge of the newspaper.

The party insisted that Mr Coulson had no knowledge of the eight cases of hacking that emerged during the 2007 court case involving the paper’s royal editor, Clive Goodman. However, it repeatedly refused to comment on whether Mr Coulson was aware of the “hundreds” of other cases of illegal interceptions that police say may have taken place.

The party said that Mr Coulson would answer only specific allegations and refused to say if he was aware of a single case of hacking during his tenure.

The revelations were seized upon by the Conservatives’ opponents. Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: “At the very least, Andy Coulson was responsible for a newspaper that was out of control and at worst he was personally implicated. Either way, a future prime minister cannot have someone who is involved in this sort of underhand tactics. The exact parallel is with Damian McBride.”

The Labour MP Ann Clwyd said: “Given Mr Coulson’s dubious reputation none of us on the Labour benches can feel comfortable while this man is allowed to wander the corridors here. Can’t we, at the very least, while he is under suspicion, take his pass away from him?”

Senior Tories indicated to The Times that they were unsure that Mr Coulson would survive. One said it “doesn’t look good” for the party’s communications chief.

The strategy that emerged from Conservative headquarters over the course of the day was two-fold: first to suggest that there was nothing new in yesterday’s allegations but also to present Mr Coulson as a reformed character. They will also attempt to head off comparisons with the furore surrounding e-mails sent by Mr McBride, a close aide to Gordon Brown, by insisting that Mr Coulson has behaved properly in his current job at all times.

Speaking outside his home, Mr Cameron said yesterday: “It’s wrong for newspapers to breach people’s privacy with no justification.

“That is why Andy Coulson resigned as Editor of the News of the World 2½ years ago. Of course I knew about that resignation before offering him the job. But I believe in giving people a second chance.”

This line has rankled with several backbench Tory MPs who feel that Mr Cameron — often acting on Mr Coulson’s advice — has treated people unevenly over the issue of expenses, with allies being given more leeway than backbench Tory grandees.

Asked if Mr Coulson’s job was safe, Mr Cameron added: “Yes, of course.”

The focus of the investigation will now move to the Culture Select Committee, which has asked Les Hinton, the former chairman of News International, publisher of The Sun and the News of the World and owner of The Times, to appear before it on Tuesday.

The Home Affairs Committee will examine why the police brought the investigation to a close without informing many of those whose details were uncovered during its course.

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