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More than one 'mole' in Home Office leaks
Justin Davenport05.12.08
Police believe the civil servant at the centre of the Damian Green inquiry is responsible for only half of the Home Office leaks they are investigating.
They have established that 26-year-old Christopher Galley was involved in around four or five leaks of what the Home Secretary described as "highly classified" information. But police are understood to be investigating at least 10 leaks.
One source told the Standard: "It is not clear yet how many people are responsible for these or who they are. The job was bigger than we expected and the inquiry is ongoing."
The development came as it emerged that Scotland Yard's acting chief was only told of the leak inquiry into Tory MP Damian Green a few days before he was due to take charge. Sir Paul Stephenson, who was Deputy Commissioner at the time, was informed last week two days before Mr Green was arrested.
He took over as Acting Commissioner on Monday. A police source told the Standard: "He was told ... 'there is something you should know'."
Police say the operation was run by Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, who originally reported to Sir Ian Blair and who then briefed Sir Paul.
When the decision was made to arrest the MP it was decided that Sir Paul should be informed, although it is not known why he was not told earlier.
By that time he was effectively in charge and he approved the decision to make the arrest but, according to insiders, only after challenging Mr Quick.
A source said: "He challenged him on a number of issues and he received a number of assurances. He was aware that this was going to attract a lot of attention. He wanted to be satisfied things had been done properly. He was assured they had."
Insiders say the investigation was run by a highly secretive unit of former Special Branch officers inside the Counter Terrorism Branch of the Yard.
It was overseen by Mr Quick who is in charge of counter terrorism and security matters and who has the equivalent rank of a chief constable.
Senior officers are believed to be satisfied that they were right to launch the inquiry on the facts they were given by the Cabinet Office. But there is more concern over whether it was "proportionate" to arrest Mr Green. The decision has been criticised by all political parties.
This week it has also emerged that police failed to inform the Serjeant at Arms at the House of Commons of her right to refuse a search of Mr Green's office.
This week Sir Paul called in a chief constable from an outside force to review the Met's handling of the case.
Ian Johnston, the head of the British Transport Police, will focus on whether the MP's arrest was justified.
In the Commons yesterday Home Secretary Jacqui Smith defended the police handling of the case, saying that while some of the leaked documents were "highly classified" there were grounds to believe greater secrets were at risk.
Mr Johnston is to deliver his interim findings to Sir Paul early next week.
Both the Acting Commissioner and Mr Quick are among nine senior police officers who have applied to be the next Commissioner.
Reader views (10)
There is no act of treachery or meanness of which a political party is not capable; for in politics there is no honour.
Benjamin Disraeli
- Geronimo, LONDON MIDDLESEX
Pete, Croydon, has correctly highlighted the cosy relationship of senior MET officers with the NuLabour government. The corruption of power in this government does not stop there. Parliament is now only a rubber stamp for government policies, and most MPs are interested only in their careers. Instead of scrutinising government on behalf of the people, parliament is now managed by the government. MPs are little more than an electoral college for the Prime Minister.
And what hypocrisy from the government over the arrest of Damien Green MP! In opposition, Gordon Brown regularly used leaked information to embarrass the Tory government. Now that the leaks are exposing his secrets, the police are used to intimidate a Tory MP.
We must have more electoral power and more answerability to save our political system: a directly-elected PM (with a fixed term in office), fixed-term parliaments, proportional representation of MPs, an elected Upper Chamber (of independent representatives), free voting in parliamentary divisions (ie. scrapping of the whip system), replacing government ministers with a cabinet of appointed officials (so that MPs will not be toadying for promotion, and unelected cabinet appointees will not need the fig-leaf of a peerage).
Without these major changes we will slide towards a more arrogant, authoritarian government, a more cynical, apathetic electorate, and a more bitter, broken society.
- Stan, Derby, UK
Learn from the Federal Goverment and impose harsher rules and laws to shut people up.. in china people just wont DARE to open their mouth.
Just in England and oh yeah its rude too
- Paul, Manchester
Why is Ian Johnston carrying out an enquiry as to whether Mr Greens arrest was 'justified'. Such an enquiry is a matter for the courts to decide. I hope when Mr Green is cleared of any improper behaviour he sues the Met police for false imprisonment, unlawful arrest, unlawful search and seizure of personal property, and seeks punitive damages. The Met itself needs a clear out of the top layer of Labour supporting senior police officers. This has already begun with the 'sudden' resignation of Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman, Fat Bob Quicks predecessor and another Blair appointee as head of the anti terrorism command, More recently Blair himself was dismissed. Boris you now need to concentrate on getting rid of Stephenson and fat Bob, before looking closely at several other senior Blair appointees who are still skulking around New Scotland Yards 5th and 8th floors.
- Pete, Croydon Uk
I don't find any threat to the national security on these leaks. This is purely about a weak government's mismanagement which public has the right to know.
I think the leaks are very reasonable and this was acted on the public interest.
If it was one or two cases of blunders in the civil service then I accept that these should not be published. But I saw there were many blunders in almost all the government department. What do you need to do, if almost all the government departments are failing on administrations.
- Muheed Jeeran, Colombo, Sri Lanka
How about focussing on who is responsible for the various foul-ups that are the subject of these leaks ? It is government incompetence, not the leaks, which is putting the country at risk.
- Andrew, hampton
Since when are whistleblowers, moles?
- Md, London, UK
You've missed the biggest, most obvious mole in the Westminster 'village'.
It's 'Speaker' Martin himself, Brown's [not so] covertly planted 'operator'.
This pretentious fraudster Speaker takes every opportunity to choreograph a smear of the Tories, as this latest clumsy episode so clearly illustrates.
And now today, to Campbell and Mandelscum's [McLabour Fifth Column's] delight, it appears to have been 'allowed' to be expanded, and to run and run.
Look out for much more of Gurner Gordon's filthy 'pornographic Party Politicking' muggings in the coming months, in his perversely desperate [but hopefully futile] attempt to 'gain popularity' before a highly probable spring 2009 General Election.
- Dave, cumbria
Its a good job we do have people who are prepared to put this Country first! Heavens know what this Government would do if we didn't have the leaks! Remember the 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' - Lies!
- Jk, London
The leaks are only people fed up with chronic Nu Labor government mismanagement and telling people. These are not exactly state secrets!
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
