Now Andy Coulson has been cleared of perjury charges, what will he do next?

Like other former editors, his media instincts could be prized in public relations

Andy Coulson (AP)

Experienced Fleet Street editor. Westminster connections. Inside knowledge of prisons. Andy Coulson’s CV, however unusual, could still look attractive to employers.

Downing Street ruled out a return to No 10, but now that the last outstanding legal impediment against Mr Coulson returning to full-time employment has been removed, he is unlikely to be out of work for long.

Like other former tabloid editors, Mr Coulson’s media instincts could be prized in public relations. David Yelland, who edited The Sun for five years, joined the PR consultancy Weber Shandwick in 2004. His clients included the former BP chief, Lord Browne, Tesco and Coca-Cola.

Phil Hall, one of Mr Coulson’s predecessors at the helm of News of the World, moved into magazines and then PR. His company, PHA, had clients including Sir Fred Goodwin, the disgraced former banking chief of RBS, and West Ham United.

One PR boss told The Independent that Mr Coulson could lucratively explore the route of offering “specialist PR advice to clients who preferred anonymity”.

Alternatively, he could rejoin one of Rupert Murdoch’s extensive global businesses, although the lawsuit over legal fees he launched against his former employer in 2011 could be a barrier.

Mr Coulson’s co-accused in the hacking trial at the Old Bailey, Rebekah Brooks, who was cleared of all charges, looks on the verge of returning to the Murdoch stable as boss of a media website called Storyful.