SCOTTISH police look likely to interview Clive Goodman, the News of the World reporter jailed over the phone hacking scandal, after he claimed in a newly-released letter that the illegal practice was "widely discussed" at the paper.

Aamer Anwar, the solicitor acting for ex-MSP Tommy Sheridan, at whose perjury trial former News of the World editor Andy Coulson denied knowledge of widespread phone hacking, called on Strathclyde Police to consider questioning Goodman.

Mr Anwar said if the claims were true then it would be a “serious contradiction” of Mr Coulson’s evidence.

In January, the ex-Scottish Socialist Party leader was found guilty of lying during his defamation case against the tabloid and was jailed for three years.

The News of the World said the 47-year-old politician was an adulterer who had visited a swingers’ club. He has since been refused leave to appeal.

Mr Anwar said: “Strathclyde Police’s major inquiry into perjury and phone hacking should now consider interviewing Clive Goodman as well as Andy Coulson.

“We were told repeatedly during Mr Sheridan’s trial by the police and the Crown that perjury strikes at the heart of the administration of justice and nobody was above the law.

“We now expect to see a similar robust response to the News of the World and for arrests to take place in Scotland and, if it is shown that people lied at the High Court in Glasgow, they should go to prison.”

A spokesman for Strathclyde Police, which in July established Operation Rubicon, its own inquiry into allegations of phone hacking, perjury during the Sheridan trial and police corruption, said: “We won’t be going into any names. We can’t confirm or deny any people who will be questioned. The investigation is still very much ongoing.”

The new twist to the saga does nothing to relieve the pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron, who had been warned not to hire Mr Coulson as his director of communications.

Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said: “The Prime Minister took no action and looked the other way amid these allegations that he had brought someone aware of criminal activity into 10 Downing Street. Every new bit of evidence shows how catastrophic his judgment was.”

The House of Commons Culture Committee, which heard evidence last month from Rupert Murdoch, his son James and Rebekah Brooks, the former Chief Executive at News International, yesterday published a series of letters from various parties linked to the phone hacking scandal, which looks certain to mean a recall for James Murdoch and Mr Coulson.

The most explosive letter, from Goodman, the News of the World’s former royal editor, to Daniel Cloke, News International’s human resources director, refers to how other members of staff were “carrying out the same illegal procedures”.

“This practice was widely discussed in the daily editorial conference until explicit reference to it was banned by the editor,” says Goodman. The editor then was Mr Coulson.

This letter was sent to the committee by media law firm Harbottle and Lewis, hired by News International to deal with Goodman’s appeal. However, the same letter sent to the committee by the news organisation had the words “daily editorial conference” and “by the editor” blanked out.

In his letter, Goodman goes on to say that Tom Crone, the paper’s former legal director, and Mr Coulson “promised on many occasions that I could come back to a job at the newspaper if I did not implicate the paper or any of its staff in my mitigation plea”. This section too was redacted in the version supplied by News International.

Mr Coulson along with others, including Mrs Brooks, were arrested and questioned by Scotland Yard. The ex-No 10 director of communications is on police bail until October. Last night, he refused to comment.

Labour backbencher Tom Watson said the Goodman letter was “devastating”.

He said: “If it is accurate, the whole foundation of the company defence in all the evidence they gave to all the inquiries was bogus and so we need to bottom that out.”

Mr Watson said he believed there was a “cover-up”, adding: “If the Goodman letter is accurate, it is the smoking gun.”

Last night, a News International spokeswoman stressed it had set up a management and standards committee to look into the scandal, which was fully co-operating with the Metropolitan Police into its probe into phone hacking .

“We recognise the seriousness of materials disclosed to the police and Parliament and are committed to working in a constructive and open way with all the relevant authorities,” she added.