James Kirkup reports on Three Line Whip...
The following facts have just been supplied to journalists at Westminster by Conservative Party spokesmen:
Damian Green, the Conservative immigration spokesman was arrested earlier today.
He was detained on suspicion of aiding or procuring misconduct in public office. The arrest is connected to the disclosure of several Home Office documents over the last year. Police officers searched Mr Green's home in Kent and his Commons office. At the time of posting, he remains under arrest at a central London police station. He has not been charged with any crime. Mr Green denies any wrongdoing and and has not been charged with any crime.
UPDATE 9.30pm: The Telegraph has the most complete version of the story HERE.
19 comments:
"Shadow immigration minister Damien Green was arrested today under the Official Secrets Act for leaking information to the media"
The irony is that there have been no arrests following repeated leaks by government ministers of the PBR.
Mandy's hands, once again, all over this.
BTW, quite appropriate verification: helogent?
Did someone leave a USB stick lying around again? Oh no, that's the government's game.
Welcome to a Miugabe-esque state where the detention of opposition politicians in justified on national security grounds. Held for what, 8+ hours without charge? For recieving leaks from within the Government? What? To send a message to the Treasury leaker as suggested on Guido? What? What? What country are we living in? Have we been transported back 70 years to Stalin's Russia or Hitler's Germany? Can this really be our, well Brown's, Britain?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3532133/Tory-minister-Damian-Green-arrested-under-the-Official-Secrets-Acts.html
Anyone dumb enough to believe this isn't politically motivated bollocks deserves to be choked to death on the mantra 'nothing to hide, nothing to fear'.
A retirement gift from Sir Ian Blair to the Tories, before he leaves office on 1st December?
police state. fucking disgrace.
Perhaps he's been arrested under the anti-terrorism laws for criticising the prime minister?
I do hope Cameron goes for Brown's jugular...Brown has systematically leaked budget after budget..as have all Ministers leaked before going to the House.
IF this is at it appears I think Brown's head has been offered to the Tories on a plate.
BUT Cameron has to go in with a leaded toecap.
That's the problem with closing public conveniences, it does encourage there to be a leak in public...
Either there will be huge fallout for the government or the population really is punch drunk.
I never dreamed that we would experience leading politicians being arrested for what is, essentially a political act. This really is Zimbabwean.
When can we expect Brooon and his Cabinet to feel the long arm of the law?
This will have been authorised at the highest level. This is not some local plod getting clever, this is Brown.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
When they start arresting the opposition, you know where we are all going. Does anybody know if I can get a bet on the General Election being postponed beyond 2010 due to some "national crisis"?
I can smell the Reichstag burning all over again.
Not good, not good at all. If something needs leaking, the Government doesn't look for it, if something they don't want leaked gets out, they arrest a member of the opposition. At this rate we'll have Gulags in less than 2 years
Well, the gloves are off now. No bad thing. I think the Government is going to find itself in real trouble from this point forward.
Completely outrageous! What the hell are COUNTER TERRORISM Police doing arresting a Member of Parliament. Also, what is happening to Parliamentary Sovereignty when Police can march into an MP's office located on the Parliamentary estate? This is the sort of nonsense one expects to see in Zimbabwe. Now we have the final proof that the UK is a Police State. Cameron (if he has any 'balls') needs to make one hell of a fuss about this and demand explanations from the Government.
Labour's achilles heal has been immigration. They let in too many and made this country a soft touch for mass immigration.
Cameron should treat this seriously and raise immigration to the same level as the economy. Brown, the Stalin will lose as people are fed up with masses coming to this country. I am speaking as some one with a 'brown colour' and am sick and tired of all kinds of Yo Yos let in. I will support Damien who is doing the job that the media should be doing.
Labour is running s**t scared and their end is well nigh near.
Nine counter terrorist officers to arrest one man who has not been charged with anything?
Anyway, why were these documents so 'sensitive?'
A stinking fish that will do the government more harm than anything else this week.
If Mandy was behind it, he is a bloody fool - but since he isn't he probably wasn't.
The scariest aspect of this is that the media would take Labour's side as usual, and would refuse to report it as the outrageous act that it is. That he's not been charged shows it just about intimidating any opposition politicians who dare to question what this rotten govt is up to.
There seem to be a number of possible objections to this:
1. Civil servants should be free to disclose government documents as they see fit;
2. Civil servants should not have this freedom, however members of the conservative party should be free to encourage them to do so by providing a regular conduit for their disclosures;
3. You could have knocked Mr. Green down with a feather when he discovered the source of these documents, which in each case he found lying on a Commons photocopier.
Which one are you going for here, because the blog post isn't clear?
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