The Metropolitan police officer in charge of Commons security "bamboozled" the Serjeant at Arms over the search of an MP's office, the former Speaker has claimed. Skip related content
Lord Martin of Springburn was appearing before a special Commons committee on the issue of parliamentary privilege yesterday.
Shadow immigration minister Damian Green (Con, Ashford) was detained by the Metropolitan Police on November 23 and his Commons office was searched as part of an investigation into a leak from the Home Office.
Police did not obtain a warrant for the search, which angered many MPs. Green was not charged with offences.
A report into the investigation carried out by former British Transport Police chief Ian Johnston concluded that the leaked documents contained material that was "hostile and embarrassing" to the government, but did not amount to a threat to national security.
Serjeant at Arms Jill Pay, who is responsible for security and other aspects of the administration of the Commons, signed a consent form for the search after police told her a warrant was not necessary.
In his evidence to the committee Lord Martin blamed her and the Commons Clerk, Michael Jack, for not informing him the police did not have a warrant.
Lord Martin said of the police's conduct:
"We have a word in Scotland called 'sleekit' and they were being sleekit, they were doing it in a sleekit way to get in."
When he confronted the Serjeant and Clerk, Jack said that Chief Superintendent Ed Bateman, the Met officer with responsibility for Commons security, "had bamboozled the Serjeant and tricked her into keeping the matter from her immediate superiors".
Lord Martin added:
"I have met Chief Superintendent Bateman on a number of occasions and I have always found him to be professional and courteous.
"A blame was being put here.
"There was an admittance at that meeting that the Serjeant had kept matters back but that she was doing so because she had been tricked.
"I don't say something like that about someone who is a career officer unless it was said in that room and the only reason I mention it is that I am deeply concerned about the information being kept from me and a blame was being put on to someone else."
A spokesman for the Met police said Lord Martin had never made these allegations to them, "despite the enormous publicity the case has generated".
"At no point did Chief Superintendent Bateman, or any officer from the Metropolitan Police Service, attempt to 'bamboozle' or 'trick' anyone in this matter and we strongly refute this," a spokewoman said.
"There is a clear audit trail, including a letter and signed search consent form, which supports this and which will be presented to the Committee at the appropriate time."
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