David Cameron’s top spin doctor Andy Coulson revealed yesterday that his own mobile phone was hacked into by a rogue investigator when he was editor of the News of the World.

The Tory communications director spoke out as he was quizzed by MPs over what he knew about the phone hacking scandal which forced his resignation from the paper.

Mr Coulson admitted that ‘things went badly wrong’ during his editorship, which ended two years ago with the imprisonment of royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glen Mulcaire for hacking into the phones of Royal aides.

Andy Coulson giving evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Andy Coulson giving evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee where he denied knowing about phone tapping

But with new claims that the hacking regime was more widespread and involved other News of the World journalists, Mr Coulson told the Commons Culture Committee he had ‘no recollection’ of hacking taking place on his watch.

It has been claimed that Mr Mulcaire also hacked into the mobile voicemail messages of non-royal celebrities like model Elle Macpherson, former deputy prime minister John Prescott and London mayor Boris Johnson.

Critics say that is evidence that reporters other than Mr Goodman must have been involved.

But in a bid to show that the private eye was acting alone or for another paper, Mr Coulson revealed: ‘I received a call from Scotland Yard the Friday before last, from a detective superintendent, to be told there is strong evidence to suggest that my phone was hacked.

‘In fact it would appear that there is more evidence my phone was hacked than there is that John Prescott's was. I clearly didn't know what Glen Mulcaire was up to.’

Mr Coulson described Goodman as a ‘rogue reporter’ and said: ‘As far as I am aware there is no evidence linking the non-royal phone hacking by Glenn Mulcaire with any member of the News of the World staff.’

The Tory spin doctor was put under pressure over recent revelations that a junior News of the World journalist emailed Mr Mulcaire with transcripts of voicemail messages left on the answerphone of Professional Footballers Association chief Gordon Taylor.

The email was marked for the attention of Neville Thurbeck, the paper's then chief reporter, implying that he too knew of the phone hacking.

Mr Coulson denied knowledge of a £700,000 payoff the paper later made to Mr Taylor.

He added: ‘I never asked for a Gordon Taylor story, I never commissioned a Gordon Taylor story, I never read a Gordon Taylor story, I never published a Gordon Taylor story.’

Mr Coulson was also confronted with a story written by Mr Goodman and Mr Thurlbeck which detailed a voicemail message sent by Prince William to Prince Harry.

Mr Coulson said that he could not remember the story and denied that he would have asked how it was sourced.

‘I wasn't able to micro-manage every story and nor did I attempt to,’ he said.

Tom Crone, the paper’s legal director, told the MPs Mr Thurbeck had no recollection of seeing the email and revealed that the journalist is unavailable since he is currently travelling in Peru.

Questioned about whether he could do an effective job for Mr Cameron in future contacts with royal officials when one of his staff was jailed for hacking into the voicemails of palace staff, Mr Coulson said: ‘I apologised fully several times, quite properly, to the Royal Family and to all those who were affected by Clive's actions.

‘In relation to this job now, I have done my best to work in as upright and as proper a fashion as I can.’

Relieved Tory officials said the absence of any evidence proving Mr Coulson knew about Mr Goodman’s activities ‘drew the line under’ the affair.

But former Labour minister Denis MacShane said: ‘Andy Coulson's evidence this morning appears to suggest that during his time as a hands on editor he saw no evil and heard no evil - which seems barely credible.’

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: ‘Andy Coulson’s defence is that he did not know what was going on despite the mounting evidence that his newsroom was widely using illegal phone hacking.

‘Either he was complicit in crime, or he was one of the most incompetent Fleet Street editors of modern times. Neither should be a top recommendation to David Cameron.’