The House of Commons yesterday voted unanimously to refer the News of the World hacking controversy to the Committee on Standards and Privileges.

It is the most powerful Commons committee, with the power to subpoena witnesses. Expect Andy Coulson to be up on the dock soon, with more embarrassing headlines for David Cameron.

We already reported on Tom Watson’s words, who said:

They, the barons of the media with their red-topped assassins, are the biggest beasts in the modern jungle. They have no predators, they are untouchable, they laugh at the law, they sneer at parliament, they have the power to hurt us and they do with gusto and precision.

We are afraid, and if we oppose this resolution it is our shame. That is the tawdry secret that dare not speak its name.

But the move also got support from Tory backbenchers such as Nadine Dorries, who said: “It is our fault for having allowed the media to reach a point of arrogance.”

That was soon followed by this amusing exchange on Sky News, where Chris Bryant MP called Kay Murley ‘a bit dim’

Channel 4 News last night also reported:

A former News of the World journalist’s claim that Andy Coulson would have been aware about an alleged culture of phone hacking at the paper has been thrown into doubt because he had left the paper before Mr Coulson became its editor, Channel 4 News understands.

However, as DocRichard points out:

the Press Gazette records that Andy Coulson was appointed deputy editor of the News of the World in May 2000. So McMullen and Coulson did overlap.

Channel 4 have now amended their article.

The FT Westminster blog said last night, “that the new unity may also mean that the Tories can no longer dismiss the affair as party-political point scoring.”

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