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Cameron condemns Tory leak arrest Cameron condemns Tory leak arrest
(about 2 hours later)
Tory leader David Cameron has reacted angrily to the arrest of his immigration spokesman, describing the police operation as "heavy handed". Tory leader David Cameron has reacted with fury to the arrest of shadow immigration minister Damian Green.
Damian Green was questioned by counter-terrorism officers for nine hours and his home and office searched as part of an inquiry into Home Office leaks. Mr Green was held for nine hours by Special Branch on Thursday and had his two homes and offices searched as part of a Home Office leak inquiry.
Mr Cameron said his crime was making public information "the government didn't want to be made public". Mr Cameron called the police operation "worrying and frankly rather alarming" and said the government had questions to answer about it.
The government has said it had no prior knowledge of the arrest. But the Home Office said ministers were not informed until after the arrest.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Mr Green was arrested by members of its counter-terrorism command. It said the investigation was not terrorism related but did fall within the counter-terror unit's remit. Mr Green was not charged with any offence but was released on bail until February. Mr Cameron, London mayor Boris Johnson and Commons Speaker Michael Martin were all informed about the raids.
But Downing Street insisted ministers had not been given advance warning and Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it was purely a police matter.
The decision to make today's arrest was taken solely by the MPS without any ministerial knowledge or approval Metropolitan Police Q&A: Damian Green arrestedThe decision to make today's arrest was taken solely by the MPS without any ministerial knowledge or approval Metropolitan Police Q&A: Damian Green arrested
Immigration minister Phil Woolas said he was "taken aback" by the news when he saw it in the media. "I had no prior knowledge, the home secretary had no prior knowledge, I know of no other minister who had any prior knowledge," he told Sky News, adding: "I knew about it only after it had happened."
"As far as I am aware no ministers had any knowledge of this," he told the BBC. Mr Green was not charged with any offence but was released on bail until February, when he could face further questioning.
Asked about accusations of police heavy handedness, Mr Woolas said the police were independent of government and pointed out that "people were taken from their homes" during the recent cash for honours inquiry into Labour donations. David Cameron condemned the "heavy-handed" way in which nine anti-terrorism officers were sent to arrest Mr Green and search his home.
He added: "The wise thing to do is to wait and see what happens". "I think these are extraordinary and frankly rather worrying circumstances," he said.
'Astonished' "If they wanted to talk to Damian Green why not pick up the telephone and ask to talk to him. I think this is extraordinary that it was so heavy-handed and done in this way.
Police say Mr Green was held on suspicion of "conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office" and "aiding and abetting, counselling or procuring misconduct in a public office" - an obscure and little-used offence under common law. "They have got questions to answer, frankly, I think government ministers have got questions to answer as well. If they didn't know, why weren't they told?
The MP has denied any wrongdoing and said "opposition politicians have a duty to hold the government to account" and that he would "continue to do so". "What do they think about in Britain today, counter-terrorism police are spending their time searching an MP's office, arresting him, holding him for nine hours, all on a day when British citizens are being killed on the other side of the world and all because, as far as I can see, he made public some information that was in the public interest that the government found uncomfortable.
Mr Green's arrest is believed to be connected to the arrest of a 26-year-old man suspected of being a Home Office whistleblower. "Well, let's hope that our democracy hasn't come to that."
Mr Green said he was just doing his job and would do the same again
Speaking outside the House of Commons, Mr Green said: "I was astonished to have spent more than nine hours today under arrest for doing my job.
"I emphatically deny I have done anything wrong. I have many times made public information that the government wanted to keep secret - information that the public has a right to know.
"In a democracy, opposition politicians have a duty to hold the government to account.
"I was elected to the House of Commons precisely to do that and I certainly intend to continue doing so."
LeaksLeaks
The BBC understands that a junior Home Office official was suspended from duty 10 days ago over a number of leaks and the matter was referred to police. He was arrested but not charged. Sir David Normington, the top civil servant at the Home Office, said he had taken the decision to ask for police help in identifying the source of a series of "leaks of sensitive information over an extended period," which he said "risked undermining the effective operation of my department".
It follows a series of leaks, including:
    class="bulletList">
  • The November 2007 revelation that the home secretary knew the Security Industry Authority had granted licences to 5,000 illegal workers, but decided not to publicise it.
  • The February 2008 news that an illegal immigrant had been employed as a cleaner in the House of Commons.
  • A whips' list of potential Labour rebels in the vote on plans to increase the pre-charge terror detention limit to 42 days.
  • A letter from the home secretary warning that a recession could lead to a rise in crime.
"The police investigation led to a junior member of the Home Office being arrested on 19 November and subsequently suspended from duty," said Sir David in a statement.
'Big questions' I am not sure this is good for British democracy Denns MacShaneLabour MP
Speaking on BBC One's Question Time, shadow chancellor George Osborne said: "I think it's absolutely extraordinary that the police have taken that decision. "Yesterday (Thursday), I was informed by the Metropolitan Police at about 1.45pm that a search was about to be conducted of the home and offices of a member of the Opposition front bench. I was subsequently told that an arrest had been made.
"It has long been the case in our democracy that MPs have received information from civil servants - I think to hide information from the public is wrong. "Ministers were not involved in the decision to seek police assistance or in the subsequent investigation and were only told of the arrest after it had occurred. This is an ongoing police investigation so it would be inappropriate to comment any further."
Disclosure of this information was manifestly in the public interest Conservative Party class="" href="/1/hi/uk_politics/7753681.stm">Profile: Damian Green The leaks thought to be at the centre of the investigation include:
    class="bulletList">
  • The November 2007 revelation that the home secretary knew the Security Industry Authority had granted licences to 5,000 illegal workers, but decided not to publicise it.
  • The February 2008 news that an illegal immigrant had been employed as a cleaner in the House of Commons.
  • A whips' list of potential Labour rebels in the vote on plans to increase the pre-charge terror detention limit to 42 days.
  • A letter from the home secretary warning that a recession could lead to a rise in crime.
"It is early days, it's an extraordinary case. I think there are going to be some very, very big questions asked of the police." The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Mr Green was arrested by members of its counter-terrorism command, thought to be Special Branch officers, and searches were conducted at his homes in London and Kent and at two offices in Kent and London.
A spokesman for the Conservative Party said Mr Green had "on a number of occasions, legitimately revealed information which the Home Office chose not to make public". It said the investigation was not terrorism related but did fall within the counter-terror unit's remit.
The spokesman added: "Disclosure of this information was manifestly in the public interest. 'Fair game'
"Mr Green denies any wrongdoing and stands by his actions." A Conservative backbencher said Speaker Michael Martin would face calls for his resignation if he cannot give a good explanation for why police were allowed to search Mr Green's offices in the House of Commons.
Conservative sources said a police investigation into a high-ranking politician would have to have been cleared at "the very top" and have described the actions as "Stalinesque". Writing on his internet blog, Harwich MP Douglas Carswell said: "If it turns out that the Speaker of the House of Commons gave the go-ahead for this raid, I will be demanding to his face, on every occasion that I can, that Mr Martin now quit."
'No prior knowledge' Mr Green said he was just doing his job and would do the same again
But a Downing Street spokesman said: "This is a matter for the police. The prime minister had no prior knowledge of the arrest of Mr Green and was only informed after the event." There was also concern about the arrest on the Labour benches.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has said he was informed in advance of the Met's plan to arrest Mr Green, and expressed "trenchant" concerns about the move. Former minister Denis MacShane said that the Speaker should make clear that MPs were entitled to hold sensitive material in the same way as lawyers and doctors.
Mr Green, the MP for Ashford in Kent, who has been the Conservatives' immigration spokesman since December 2005, was arrested shortly before 1400 GMT at his constituency home. "To send a squad of counter terrorist officers to arrest an MP shows the growing police contempt for Parliament and democratic politics," he said.
The Tories say they understand nine counter-terrorism officers were involved in searches of his home and offices. "The police now believe that MPs are so reduced in public status that they are fair game for over-excited officers to order dawn raids, arrests and searches of confidential files held by MPs or those who work for them.
"I am not sure this is good for British democracy."
Police say Mr Green was held on suspicion of "conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office" and "aiding and abetting, counselling or procuring misconduct in a public office" - an obscure and little-used offence under common law.
The Ashford MP, who has been the Tories' immigration spokesman since 2005, has denied any wrongdoing and said "opposition politicians have a duty to hold the government to account" and that he would "continue to do so".
Mr Green, who has been the Conservatives' immigration spokesman since December 2005, was arrested shortly before 1400 GMT on Thursday at his constituency home.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said the arrest was made without any ministerial influence.In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said the arrest was made without any ministerial influence.
They said: "The investigation into the alleged leak of confidential government material followed the receipt by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) of a complaint from the Cabinet Office.They said: "The investigation into the alleged leak of confidential government material followed the receipt by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) of a complaint from the Cabinet Office.
"The decision to make today's arrest was taken solely by the MPS without any ministerial knowledge or approval.""The decision to make today's arrest was taken solely by the MPS without any ministerial knowledge or approval."
It said search warrants had been carried out at a home in Kent, a home in west London, business premises in Kent and in central London.It said search warrants had been carried out at a home in Kent, a home in west London, business premises in Kent and in central London.
"The search at the residential address in west London has concluded, the other searches continue," it added.
A Home Office spokesman confirmed that a Home Office official had been arrested last week "in connection with an inquiry into alleged leaked documents".
The Lib Dems said Mr Green's arrest was a "worrying development" with serious implications for the balance of power between the government and parliament.The Lib Dems said Mr Green's arrest was a "worrying development" with serious implications for the balance of power between the government and parliament.
"Receiving information from government departments in the public interest and publicising it is a key part of any MP's role," said Chris Huhne, the party's home affairs spokesman.
"It seems that either the law needs to be changed over the police have overstepped the mark."