Ming to investigate Green arrest
By politics.co.uk staff
Sir Menzies Campbell will chair the cross-party committee investigating the arrest of Damian Green last autumn.
The former Liberal Democrat leader was selected to head the eight-person committee, which will seek to ascertain why Metropolitan police officers were permitted to search Mr Green’s parliamentary office without a warrant.
Former Speaker Michael Martin blamed his serjeant-at-arms, Jill Pay, for the failure to protect MPs. He subsequently ordered search warrants would always be required for police to access MPs’ offices.
The shadow immigration minister was arrested in November for helping to leak Home Office information.
The crown prosecution service subsequently confirmed no charges would be brought against Mr Green, although the civil servant who passed on information to him was sacked following a disciplinary hearing in April this year.
MPs were outraged by Mr Green’s arrest and have repeatedly called for a cross-party committee to investigate the issue.
It is expected to report on its findings by the end of the year.
