Labour MPs can hardly disguise their glee as the political implications of the phone-hacking scandal begin to sink in at Westminster. They are beside themselves with excitement.
The House of Commons was told by David Hanson, a Home Office minister, this morning that these "serious allegations" would be investigated by the Metropolitan police – official confirmation that they are significant.
To Labour MPs, though, first and foremost this is an unbelievable political gift.
They know the story might, just might, be the factor that swings things back a little in their favour with less than a year to go before a general election.
For the past three months Labour has reeled from the Damian McBride affair, from allegations that a senior figure in Gordon Brown's inner circle tried to smear senior Tories and even some in Labour's ranks. Labour seemed rotten at heart. The Tories were victims.
Now the involvement of Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor turned David Cameron's top spin doctor, in the hacking controversy could neutralise all of that at a stroke. It could cancel the negatives of the McBride disaster and more.
Labour believes it now has ample ammunition to fire back in the smeargate war. Labour's Ann Clwyd, the MP for Cynon Valley, saw her chance after the minister's statement, calling for Coulson to be barred from parliament.
"Given Mr Coulson's dubious reputation, none of us on the Labour benches can feel comfortable while this man is allowed to wander the corridors here. Can't we, at the very least, while he is under suspicion, take his pass away from him?" Another Labour MP, Martin Salter, was on The World at One doing roughly the same.
Coulson denies knowledge of the NoW phone-hacking strategy. David Cameron is standing by him. Tory aides are out in force at Westminster insisting all is "fine". Cameron, they say, is "relaxed". Like hell he is.
Inside the Tory bunker I doubt there has been greater tension since DC took over in late 2005. The man who advises the leader on disaster and scandal management is suddenly the subject of scandal himself.
Cameron has shown himself smart, quick off the mark, and ruthless when responding to the expenses scandal over recent weeks. But this is a bigger test. Could he fire his right-hand man and say: "Andy, thanks mate, it is over"?
The biggest issue that Cameron will be weighing up is not what ousting Coulson would mean for the Tories' day-to-day communications strategy, but what it would do to relations with News International, whose support he will rely so much upon in the next few months. Coulson (will he one day edit another tabloid?) also knows plenty that Cameron would never want out.
The risks of keeping him are high – but are the risks of kicking him out even higher?
