Praise for Tory spin-doctor Coulson

A big thumbs-up for the Tory party's spin doctor, Andy Coulson, from Daily Telegraph political blogger David Hughes. It is no coincidence that his eight-month tenure has coincided with a much-needed slickness in the Tory operation, he writes.

He is scathing about "sniffy response" to Coulson's appointment from "commentators on the left", notably Peter Wilby. In his piece in June last year, A dodgy kind of spin doctor, he thought Coulson would be a "lame duck". Not so, claims Hughes. Coulson "has been playing a blinder."

He goes on to reveal that should David Cameron win the next general election Coulson won't stay on to become his prime ministerial spokesman because he wants "to move on to fresh fields and try something new." I think that's what we call a scoop.