David Cameron's judgment on hiring disgraced ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson has already been called into question.

Now, new allegations have surfaced that appear to show Andy Coulson was advised by Neil Wallis, the News of the World editor at the very center of the hacking scandal, in the run up to the 2010 elections - while he was employed by David Cameron.

Other new emails reportedly show that an aide to David Cameron stopped the British police from briefing the Prime Minister on the phone hacking scandal in September 2010.

Just like that, the odds of David Cameron being replaced before the next election went to 2/1.

Via The Telegraph, here's a statement on Wallis from the Conservative Party:

There have been some questions about whether the Conservative Party employed Neil Wallis. We have double checked our records and are able to confirm that neither Neil Wallis nor his company has ever been contracted by the Conservative Party, nor has the Conservative Party made payments to either of them.

It has been drawn to our attention that he may have provided Andy Coulson with some informal advice on a voluntary basis before the election. We are currently finding out the exact nature of any advice.

We can confirm that apart from Andy Coulson, neither David Cameron nor any senior member of the campaign team were aware of this until this week.