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Smith rebuked for not challenging raid police over Green's arrest

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was criticised in the Commons on Friday by her Labour predecessor over the handling of the Damian Green arrest.

  • By Joe Murphy, Evening Standard
  • Published: 23:46 December 5, 2008
  • Gulf News

London: Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was criticised in the Commons on Friday by her Labour predecessor over the handling of the Damian Green arrest.

Former minister John Reid said he was "surprised" she did not ask the police questions about their investigation leading up to the arrest and detention of the Conservative immigration spokesman.

"I have to say I'm surprised you weren't informed that your opposite number, effectively, was about to be arrested," he said. "I cannot think that if I had been told this had been done, after the event, I would have remained as placid as you have in these circumstances."

Stormy session

He added: "I would have wanted to have been informed and to have expressed a view on it."

His rebuke came as Smith defended herself and the police in a stormy Commons session.

She said she would not have intervened even if she had known an MP was to be arrested.

"I believe it would have been wholly inappropriate," she said.

But shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve accused her of trying to "wash her hands" of the affair. "This episode has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with political embarrassment," he said.

Green was arrested and held for nine hours while his Commons office, two homes and constituency office, were searched and computers removed by counter-terrorism officers seeking evidence of collusion with a leaker.

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