Dominic Grieve speaks out against the arrest of Damian Green

Commons Speaker Michael Martin has announced he will make a statement regarding a police raid on the Parliamentary office of a Tory frontbencher. The Speaker is under mounting pressure from MPs demanding answers after Mr Green was held for nine hours over alleged leaks of Home Office documents. Amid speculation anger could erupt into protest, his office announced that he would make a statement on Wednesday when the House returned for the State Opening of the new session. Politicians from all sides have condemned the police action - former Labour minister Denis MacShane dubbed it "a mammoth breach in the core democratic doctrine of parliamentary privilege". Commons leader Harriet Harman told Mr Martin there needed to be an urgent review of procedures to ensure the protection of "big constitutional principles". "We have got to be sure that whilst MPs are not above the law, that actually they are able to get on with their job without unwarranted interference by the law," she said. "These are very, very big constitutional principles, we have to make sure they are protected." His treatment has provoked angry suggestions from MPs of all sides that he was being pursued for simply doing his job of holding the Government to account. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith dismissed that claim, insisting officers were investigating a "systematic series of leaks" of potentially sensitive Home Office material. She refused to apologise for the arrest, saying the police had to be allowed to "follow the evidence where they need to" without interference from the Government.

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ITN | December 1, 2008

Tags:. .session. .regarding. .material. .frontbencher. .unwarranted