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Tories cultivated me to leak documents, says fired mole
Anna Davis19 May 2009
The Home Office mole who was arrested and lost his job after leaking documents today hit out at the Conservative party for betraying him.
Christopher Galley, a 27 year old civil servant, leaked documents to Damian Green, the Shadow Immigration Minister.
They were both arrested last year and police carried out a raid on Mr Green's parliamentary office. Last month they were told they would not face charges over the leaks.
But Mr Galley said he was cynically cultivated to become a mole, and has now been shunned by the Conservative party.
He said: “I find it very painful to see the way my leaks boosted Damian Green's career while leaving me jobless, broke and with limited prospects. Frankly I feel the Tories have hung me out to dry.”
Mr Galley said he received no help with the £3,400 legal bill he racked up as a consequence of his arrest and he expects to have to give up his home in Feltham, west London, and move in with his parents.
He said that he has emailed all 193 Conservative MPs in the House of Commons asking for work, but no-one has offered him anything.
Mr Galley's relationship with Mr Green started when he left a comment on an article by David Davis, then shadow home secretary, on the Conservative Party website.
He received an email asking him to meet Mr Davis, and Damian Green was also invited to the meeting.
Mr Galley said he was never asked specifically to leak documents, but said he feels he was “cultivated.”
A Conservative official said Mr Galley had never been offered employment by Mr Green.
Reader views (12)
He isn't the first, and certainly won't be the last, to be screwed by the current bunch of Conservatives.
- Andrew, London W1, 19/05/2009 21:35
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He was never asked to provide documents and nothing he is quoted as saying supports the charge of "grooming". Of course the Conservatives will not offer him a job - just imagine the outcry from the Left if they did. He took his own actions based upon his own decisions to reveal information that was in the public interest. The real question is whether public servants who act in the public interest should be sacked in this age of Freedom of Information. In this case legal opinion appears to have supported Galley in that his leaks were indeed in the public interest, so whilst Government can argue that his act was a breach of employer's confidentiality, legal opinion appears to be that there was in fact no case for confidentiality.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK, 19/05/2009 17:11
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Christopher Galley, welcome to the crooked world of dark art politics.
I will be cruel and say that you are not naive, but you behaved like an idiot.
How can you think the Conservative Party will help you without then incriminating themselves?, so stop spamming them, and do yourself a favour start rebuilding your life from zero, as it is pretty much where you are at now...
and yes next time think before you act...
- Nabil H, London, UK, 19/05/2009 16:40
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What was he hoping for? A Peerage?
- James, London, 19/05/2009 14:44
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"Mr Galley said he was never asked specifically to leak documents, but said he feels he was “cultivated.” "
Was Derren Brown also at the meeting I wonder...?
- Escobar-Alop-Lop, Camden County, 19/05/2009 13:43
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Mr Putin, Senor Chavez and, Senor Castro must be laughing at the Capitalist fiasco being unearthed and with good reason.
T H Leeds
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK, 19/05/2009 12:55
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This young lad certainly sounds like he's been manipulated and perhaps dazzled by the sphere of influence he felt he might one day join.
I'm not sure that makes him a 'thick head' as the erudite UKIP advocate David Crocket would suggest, perhaps just a bit young and naive. much like anyone who thinks the UKIP is anything but a trivial nuisance.
- Scotty, london, 19/05/2009 12:07
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Didn't Damian Green say Mr Galley offered his services? And David Davies has been suggested as a replacement Speaker. I thought the idea was to clean the House of Commons of sleaze, not replace one sullied Member with another. The office of Speaker is supposed to be neutral in party-political terms. David Davies quite obviously would not meet that criterion.
- Val Daniels, Mijas Costa, Spain, 19/05/2009 11:31
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Unfortunately, private organisations - especially political ones - cannot be seen to be paying for classified information. However, as he is not having charges pressed I should have thought the grounds for firing him had gone and his job should be reinstated.
- Roz, France, 19/05/2009 11:25
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here is another that has joined the blame game,this guy has to be a real thick head, not only has he lost his job over this affair, he is looking for work amongst a load of thieves, as far as work goes,they probably have a arrangement with a aged aunt,or 4year old son, also these guys are going to be out of work soon anyways, because everyone is going to vote UKIP, just to give them a bloody nose, so Mr Galley, do as your Mum always said "keep out of trouble lad", try MacDonald's, they strike me as being a honest employer.
- David Crocket, Bradford, UK, 19/05/2009 11:19
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I'm trying hard to think of a sentence that doesn't include the word "diddums", but I've given up. Just how naive is this guy?
- Michael, London, 19/05/2009 10:19
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You have free will. You didnt have to put your hand in the fire.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, 19/05/2009 10:07
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