Cameron receives legal tutoring to prepare for his grilling at Leveson

David Cameron is preparing for his appearance before the Leveson Inquiry later this month by receiving personal legal tutoring from a small group of leading lawyers.

The legal briefings for the Prime Minister come in a week when the Leveson Inquiry's investigation of News International moves uncomfortably closer to No 10.

Yesterday, Lord Justice Leveson announced that Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor who Mr Cameron eventually brought into 10 Downing Street as his communications director, and Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International and a family friend of the Camerons, will both give evidence next week to the inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice

The timing of the appearance of both Mr Coulson and Ms Brooks will be a severe disappointment for the Coalition Govern- ment. The senior ranks of both the Tory and Liberal Democrat parties had hoped positive press coverage from the Queen's Speech on Wednesday could give them a needed boost in the polls.

However if there is any good news, it threatens to be quickly derailed by headlines from the Brooks and Coulson testimonies which follow on Thursday and Friday. This is the first time that Mr Coulson has spoken in public since his arrest last July in connection with allegations of phone hacking and police corruption.

He was editor of the NOTW between 2003 and 2007, the key period when a "culture" of illegal voicemail interception was rife inside the now-closed Sunday tabloid. Ms Brooks was also arrested last July in connection with allegations of phone hacking and illegal payments to public officials. She was arrested for a second time in March on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Following James Murdoch's disclosure to Leveson of a stream of emails directly linking News Corp's lobbying efforts to the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, there are fears that evidence from Ms Brooks, who is understood to have retained text and email exchanges from Mr Cameron over a number of years, also holds the power to expose the closeness of News International's relationship with key politicians.

Lord Justice Leveson can order the disclosure of all the exchanges Ms Brooks holds. However, any evidence that potentially touches on criminal charges that could yet be brought against Ms Brooks or Mr Coulson will not be examined by the inquiry.