When Andy Coulson was appointed as the Tories' communications chief in 2007, speculation abounded that it was Rupert Murdoch who had been able to lever his man inside Downing Street.

Mr Coulson, who became an editor at just 32, was regarded as a sharp operator, who knew how the media world operated and also had the ear of not just the mogul Mr Murdoch but also his close aide newspaper executive Rebekah Brooks.

In early 2011, when phone hacking allegations broke about the News of the World, Mr Cameron famously announced he was giving Mr Coulson a "second chance"; again fuelling speculation among the Tory leader's critics that Mr Murdoch had some sort of hold over the PM.

Those who worked with Mr Coulson in No 10 say he always denied he had known anything about hacking. 

"He would say to your face incredibly convincingly 'I knew nothing about it'.

It was only later you questioned it."

Others paint a picture of a man very good at making other people want to make him happy. 

"I really liked him," said one. 

"You got a lot of people who expected this sort of shouty, sweary, cliché of a tabloid editor. But I don't think that I ever saw him lose his temper. You knew when he was unhappy. But he did not need to raise his voice.

"He was very calm and impressive. He commanded the room. 

"He was good at making people want to make him happy. People were impressed by him and wanted him to like them."

Another who worked with him in government described him as "very funny".

"And he had good news judgement. He was not thinking about the position of the party a year from now he was worried about what would be in the next day's papers. That was his priority above all. And he was very good at that".