The purple gloves. Look for the purple gloves.

It doesn't add a great deal to the sum of human knowledge, but here is the video, released by the Conservatives, of police "raiding" Damian Green's office. Look at the female detectives in the gloves. The interprid Rt Hon Andrew Mackay introduces himself to police, before being guided by police to the door. But Jacqui Smith isn't taking this lightly, and is fighting back with a new letter to Dominic Grieve.

Rather than seek to dismiss the offence the police are investigating as ’an antiquated common law misconduct offence’, you would do better to show respect for the law and the duty of parliamentarians to uphold the law

It's been a bad day for the Met who - in the first apparent concession they may have mishandled the affair have called in Ian Richardson from the British Transport Police (!) to review their actions so far. Ouch, as Sean O'Neil points out. Tomorrow is looking like a bloody day in Parliament and potentially bad for the Speaker.

NOTE: A couple of readers have asked where the link is. It appears you can't see the video in an RSS link so click here or here

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Comments

[Euan]

where's the link?

[Euan]

where's the link?

[mac]

This is utterly disgraceful attitude from the Tories. They are getting the way of a police investigation and prejudicing the course of the investigation. The Tories are so going to lose support from the public because of their gung-ho behaviour over this. Pathetic!

[Johnny Fiston-Hewes]

I can’t believe they have released this, what a joke!

I thought we’d have a juicy action-packed clip to get our teeth into but THIS! and a poorly delivered commentary from Dominic Grieve which was so boring I can remember nothing of it already!

It actually looks like hopeless party political opportunism, having a video camera hauled in.

[Jon Leigh (safely out of it in rural France)]

What disgusting comments by Jacqui Smith.

This is ZaNu Liebour in all its glory, and it's very sinister.

[Jonathan Peden]

Is there ANYONE running ANY "official" department in this country with any idea of what they are doing? That it's possible to do a good job instead of ballsing it up? The level of mediocrity displayed by our "betters" is truly staggering (if that whole sentence is not a contradiction of terms...)

[Laura Roberts]

How the hell did the Serjeant at Arms let this happen?

Who is in charge of security over there? The Speaker or the Serjeant?

[Keith]

Where's the bloody link?

[mac]

Jonathan Peden said "Is there ANYONE running ANY "official" department in this country with any idea of what they are doing? "

- what on earth does this have to do with government departments? This is police work, it should stay independent of politics. Tories are acting so childishly, spitting out their dummies and whipping themselves and the journalists into irrelevant frenzy, whilst the rest of us common people have to get on with the difficulties of daily life, and whilst there is tragedy happening in India, and turmoil in Thailand. I cannot believe the column inches this silly sensationalism has gathered. The Tories are looking much worse out of this. Stop acting like prima donnas, and be law abiding citizens and assist the police to prove no illegal activity against national security has taken place. Otherwise we're all going to think "there is no smoke without fire" and "why protest so much? Have you anything to hide Mr Cameron and co?"

[Jack Thursby]

purple nitrile gloves ftw!

[Labour Matters]

So no storm troopers, no jackboots, no sign of "heavy handedness" (copyright 'Dave' Cameron), just a lot of the use of "please" and "sir"?

We've linked to a 'Webcameron' video for the first time ever, so you can guess what we think of it.

Henceforth it's Dominic 'own goal' Grieve!

[Dave]

When an elected member of the opposition is arrested and the HoCs raided in this way I for one am glad that the tories (and others) are making a fuss. Imagine how under this government, this sort of episode would be repeated if they had been allowed to quietly get away with it.
The information passed was apparently embarrasing to the government and not related to national security. So what have they got to hide?

[Bob]

It's worth bearing in mind that the Counter Terrorism Bill currently in the Lords contains an amendment (to section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000) so (deliberately?) vague that, if enacted, it could lead to a 10-year prison sentence to whoever shoots videos like this. I'd give you the URL, but information on all your web accesses now belongs to the government and I wouldn't want to get you into trouble...

[Freya]

Need to leave, need to leave! The video itself is a bit pointless but the basic principle at stake is freedom of the press, so the thickos that think it's all somehow just a "police matter" will soon find themselves arbitrarily detained for a whole variety of reasons.

[Rob]

Mac appears not to realise that the police have acted illegally. MPs are protected by parliamentary privilage, a crucial element of our democracy going back hundreds of years. This, Mac, is why the Tories are kicking up a fuss.

[Mountain meet Molehill]

Um Rob, look up Parliamentary Privilege... it doesnt extend to a MP getting a supporter to pretend to be neutral Joe Public, apply for a job in the civil service and then filter out as much political dirt they can find. This is after all what the police were investigating NOT the leak, but how the leak was facilitated. Do you see the difference?

To all the histronic people going on about police state and what not, if that truly was the case... how come we're all talking about it? Wow... how utterly Stalinesque... do many of you get called paranoid much?

[Neil]

Rob, you're wrong about both the meaning and spelling of parliamentary privilege.

Parliamentary privilege gives MPs the freedom to slander within the chambers, and also prevents their arrest in Westminster ground on civil matters. It offers no protected whatsoever in criminal cases.

Seems to me that the tories are making the same kind of attacks (almost word for word) on a police investagtion that labour did when Ruth Turner and Levy were arrested.

[Chris]

Check out the comments from the Labour spinners spamming the site - what took you so long to come on here?

Instead of saying Tories getting in the way, they should remember that this is a MP Office that is shielded to a degree by law. It contains more confidential information than the police's investigation requires.

I'd hardly call a dawn raid with anti-terrorism officers "sensationalism".

"Nothing to fear if nothing to hide".... I can't believe how ignorant some people on here are. I for one, am glad the Tories made a fuss out of this.

[Chris]

P.s. If J Smith thinks this move is appropriate by the police, then why wasn't Brown investigated when he made his name through series of leaks in the 90s?

[Guidor]

This inept decision by the Met and the attempt to defend the indefensible by Jacqui Smith suggests they are looking to follow Robert Mugabe's example of how to intimidate and stifle opposition. Perhaps they will succeed in messing up the economy to the same extent.

[Guidor]

This inept decision by the Met and the attempt to defend the indefensible by Jacqui Smith suggests they are looking to follow Robert Mugabe's example of how to intimidate and stifle opposition. Perhaps they will succeed in messing up the economy to the same extent.

[Ian Bryan]

Jacqui Smith was hiding information that her job demanded she should put in the public domain. The reason for hiding it is that it would embarrass her. Who is the real criminal?

[Sdemnips]

I agree with the comment by Chris regarding "labour spammers". It's as plain as a pikestaff that labourites have decided somewhat belatedly to flood this site, in an attempt to show that some members of the public support what has happened. The comment by "Neil" taking Rob to task for his misspelling of "privilege" is a clear breach of netiquette, which considers content more important than spelling, The trouble is that you've all taken too long to respond, and the true groundswell of public opinion is apparent from the early posts.

Incidentally, most genuine posters are familiar with Sod's Law which dictates that if you take someone up on their spelling or grammar you inevitably make a mistake yourself and look foolish. So what did "Neil" mean by his comment "It offers no protected whatsoever in criminal cases." and perhaps he'd care to reconsider his spelling of "investagtion"?

Don't bother looking for my error, I've already checked it...but definitely tempting fate here!

[bella]

The telegraph has a link

[Anthony Whitehead]

The Tories are pathetic. Im by no means a Laborite but making this into some premise about the loss of our rights in this counrty shows how much the Conservative party are not fit to run this country. Try counting on your policies and not grooming home office employees to feed you tidbits to turn into soundbite's. Any leanings i had towards voting Conservative in the next election are now gone.. Pathetic..