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MP accuses Jacqui Smith of ‘running scared’ over Green fiasco
Joe Murphy, Political Editor17.04.09
Jacqui Smith was accused of “running scared” today when she ducked MPs' questions about the police raid on Damian Green.
The Home Secretary's office said she would not be making a statement on the fiasco to the Commons on Monday, contrary to reports.
Although the minister in charge of policing, an aide said Ms Smith was not responsible for the investigation that resulted in no charges for Tory MP Mr Green this week.
At the same time, a spokesman for Cabinet Office Minister Liam Byrne, whose officials wrongly told Scotland Yard the leaks had damaged national security, said he would not make a Commons statement either.
Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said MPs should be given a chance to ask questions about the Green affair as well as other recent Home Office controversies.
He called on Ms Smith to widen a statement she is giving on last week's counter-terrorism operation to include the resignation of former Met assistant commissioner Bob Quick and the background to Mr Green's arrest.
“It should be a broad-ranging statement so that MPs can ask her about all these matters of concern,” he said. “If she does not, people will think she is running scared.”
Ms Smith was further embarrassed when it emerged that over a dozen leaks from her department have not been accounted for.
Home Office whistleblower Christopher Galley told Sky: “I have been accused of leaking 22 documents. But I want to state categorically I only leaked four.”
The police investigation into the leaks ended when the Director of Public Prosecutions declined to charge Mr Galley and Mr Green yesterday.
Meanwhile, Mr Green revealed he was threatened with being jailed for life by police investigating the leaks.
The threat was made when he was arrested and held for nine hours by detectives who wanted him to confess to procuring national secrets.
Mr Green revealed: “They said, Do you realise that this offence could lead to life imprisonment?' I just thought this was absurd.”
Mr Galley said he was also threatened with a lifetime in jail.
The disclosure was more humiliation for Ms Smith, who is widely expected to be demoted in a summer reshuffle after months of embarrassments as Home Secretary.
Mr Green today said he had been “shocked” that even after he was cleared, Ms Smith's aides continued to allege he was guilty of “grooming” Mr Galley into making leaks.
“In the wake of the Damian McBride [smear email] affair and on the day Gordon Brown apologised, it's completely unbelievable that their response was to try to smear me,” he told the Standard.
Sources close to Ms Smith have said the report by British Transport Police chief Ian Johnstone into the raid on Mr Green's office would show the MP was guilty of “reprehensible behaviour”.
Even before the disastrous end to the leaks investigation, Ms Smith was under pressure over £140,000 of expenses claims made by describing a room in her sister's London home as her “main residence”.
It was then revealed her husband watched porn movies at the family home that were charged to her Commons expenses.
Reader views (18)
Why is she still employed at all? Everything she gets involved with has been messed up. Get rid of her now please
- Mike, London England
More spin by Miss Smiths aides. the Johnson report still at Scotland Yard, so how can mr green be guilty of reprehensible behaviour. he has been cleared by the DPP!
- Malcom Murray, ipswich suffolk
One has to be careful stating that Jacqui Smith's claims are fraudulent, although they clearly test the boundaries of the rules. However, it is safe to say that they are, in most people's views, profoundly unethical and that, among MPs, she is far from alone in what most of us would deem an expenses scheme almost designed for abuse.
- Steve Jones, Maidenhead, UK
Poor old Keith Price from Luton. He lives in a different world to everyone else. No doubt we'll have Val from Spain on soon telling how wonderful the labour party is!
- Chris, Brighton, England.
Are tax payers going to have to fund tacky Jacqui's fraudulent claims for housing benefit until she is kicked out of office in 2010? She has proved to be the most corrupt home secretary this country has ever had.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
"The Home Secretary's office said she was not responsible for calling in the police nor for the raid on Mr Green's Commons office and so, despite reports to the contrary, she would not face MPs."
No, the daft idiot is only the head of the Home Office, how on Earth could she be responsible for the civil servant working for her or the police, who she controls, have had anything to do with all of this?
- Bob, Switzerland
Life in jail under Labour is four star luxury. You get better treatment than an old age pensioner.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Keith Price, Luton, England
Another apologist for nuliebour. It's a big pity people don't have moral or ethical standards anymore.
Are you calling Damian Green a liar? I think if his statement of being threatened with life imprisonment was a lie, then the police would have told us by now.
Labour supporters are clearly very bad losers and hate being found out for the scoundrels and low lives they are.
- Margy, London
It's a sad state of affairs in British politics when the government arrests members of the opposition party. It all sounds to me like Brown has been taking tips from Mugabe.
- Casper Slides, Ibiza, Spain
Keith Price from Luton. I'm afraid you're right (for once). There's no way on this earth that the incompetent Home Secretary (Expenses Smith)involved the Police in this matter without getting agreement from "control freak" Brown. Even if there's the remote possibility this wasn't the case, it's Brown as PM who has established a culture within government that uses fake arguments about "National security" to cover up political embarassment. either way, you called it right - Gordon Brown is responsible
- Malcolm, London
Assuming Green's comments are correct, what idiot policeman would make such a statement, knowing that the Cons are going to be in power in little over a year's time, when that policeman will be dealt with by the new Home Secretary?
- Ralph, GB
"Why can we never seem to get a sensible, sane person as Home Secretary?"
Because it's not a job any sensible or sane person would want to do. With the (arguable) exception of England football manager, it's hard to think of another that leads to such guaranteed non-stop abuse for literally every decision that's taken.
Just to give a single example, how do you balance people's reasonable desire for privacy with dealing with what is clearly a genuine and ongoing threat that's already led to London's worst terrorist atrocity (and the second worst ever in the UK after Lockerbie)? It's literally impossible to get that right to everyone's satisfaction.
None of which is to defend Jacqui Smith, of course - it's just a general observation.
- Michael, London
Well I look forward to Dave and his cronies taking over. Hopefully we'll get a leak a week now that leaking is defined as an aid to democracy. It will be nice to hear George Osborne welcoming his private conversations being openly reported.
- A Rick, Ruislip England
I was threatened with life in jail £
Nobody seriously nelieves this silly claim, do they ?
I bet Gordon Brown gets the blame somehow
- Keith Price, Luton, England
It cannot be true that the police "threatened" Damian Green with life imprisonment, because it is not and never has been within the ambit of police responsibility to dispense prison sentences. That onus falls squarely on the shoulders of the Judiciary. I believe Mr Green,therefore, embellished his version of events at his house to titilate the masses. That of course doesn't excuse the police of unneccesary strong arm tactics.
- Patrick Churchill, GOFFS OAK, Herts
Like Chavez in South America, Brown's Labour party are pushing the limits of their power using intimidation and bullying.
Get rid of them while we still have a chance to vote!
- Zen, London
Why can we never seem to get a sensible, sane person as Home Secretary? And why does our 'government' act like some Orwellian, power-crazed fascist state where you cannot say anything against those in power? Our true freedoms are being eroded one by one, laws are being abused by those who create them to suit their own purposes (predominantly to keep themselves in control) and we are sat here watching it happen. These are sad times and future generations will ask... why did nobody stop it?
- Neil Trehearn, maidenhead, UK
The sooner MISS PIGGY SMIFF, GORBALS MICK and USELESS HARMAN pack their bags and clear off out of peeps' lives, the better the UK will be.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe UK
