Smith defends police call decision

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In a Commons statement, Mrs Smith again insisted she had no prior knowledge that Tory frontbencher Damian Green was about to be arrested in connection with the inquiry.

She said that in the face of sustained leaks it had been necessary to prevent further sensitive material being made public.

"The sustained level of leaking that had already taken place clearly suggested that this could go on, would escalate, and that more information of greater sensitivity could potentially leak," she said.

In the Commons, Ms Smith said she had spoken to acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson to seek "clarification" of the events surrounding Mr Green's arrest and the search of his Commons office last Thursday.

Ms Smith said that following consultations with the Home Office, the Cabinet Office contacted the Met on October 8 with a request to investigate what appeared to be the "systematic leaking of information over a sustained period".

On November 19, junior civil servant Chris Galley was arrested, followed by the arrest of Mr Green at his home in Ashford, Kent, eight days later.

On Wednesday Speaker Michael Martin disclosed that police entered the Commons without a search warrant, solely on the basis of a consent form signed by the Serjeant at Arms, Jill Pay.

However, Scotland Yard have insisted officers who raided the Commons office of Mr Green made clear they had no powers to enter the Palace of Westminster without the consent of the House authorities.

Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, the officer in charge of the Home Office leaks investigation, said the position was fully explained to the Serjeant at Arms.