British Prime Minister David Cameron says he takes full responsibility for employing ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson as No 10 press chief and has apologised.
Following Coulson's conviction at the Old Bailey for phone hacking, Cameron told MPs in the House of Commons that he had been wrong to take him on.
He says he employed Coulson on the assurances of others but always said if those assurances turned out to be wrong he would apologise fully and frankly to the House of Commons and that's what he's done today.
But Labour leader Ed Miliband says Coulson's appointment has brought disgrace on No 10 and the prime minister's guilty of wilful negligence for making the appointment despite warnings not to.
Jury fails to reach bribery verdict
Meanwhile, jurors considering extra charges against Coulson were dismissed after failing to reach a verdict.
Coulson was found guilty of phone-hacking Tuesday but also faced charges of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office by paying police officers for two directories containing phone numbers of members of the royal family.
Prosecutors are expected to announce on Monday whether he will face a retrial.
He could face up to two years in prison when he is sentenced next week over the phone-hacking conviction.
Jurors at London's Old Bailey were sent home after an eight-month trial in which the jury dramatically cleared his co-defendant, former colleague and one-time lover Rebekah Brooks of any wrongdoing on Tuesday.
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