Questions are being asked over a Tory MP's arrest
- 00:02:35
- ITN
Questions are being asked over a Tory MP's arrest
Politicians are demanding an inquiry into the "heavy-handed" tactics used in the arrest of Tory immigration spokesman Damian Green. Senior police officers and politicians continue to face serious questions over the highly-controversial arrest with Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg saying the actions are "something you might expect from a tin-pot dictatorship". The frontbench MP was held for nine hours on Thursday and his offices and homes searched over his alleged involvement in the leak of information from the Home Office. Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith have both insisted that ministers were not involved in any way in the decision to arrest him and that it was purely a matter for the police. But much of the anger is being directed towards Speaker Michael Martin and the House of Commons authorities for allowing police into the Palace of Westminster to search Mr Green's Commons office. Asked if Mr Martin had approved the move, a spokeswoman issued a terse statement, saying simply that: "There is a process to be followed and that was followed." However the Home Office confirmed that the police would have required permission from House authorities to carry out a search on the Commons premises. Tory backbencher Douglas Carswell said that if it was confirmed that Mr Martin had authorised the raid, which some say breached Parliamentary privilege, he would be demanding his resignation. On November 19, a 26-year-old junior official was arrested and subsequently suspended from duty. The detention of Mr Green followed that arrest. Scotland Yard said that 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". Mr Green has expressed astonishment at being detained, insisting that he had been doing his public duty in holding the Government to account and would continue to do so.
ITN | November 29, 2008
