Tories release film of Commons search

By Tim Castle and Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) - The Conservatives have released film of a police raid on the Westminster office of MP Damian Green amid a growing political storm that threatens to overshadow Wednesday's royal reopening of Parliament.

Tory immigration spokesman Green, 52, was quizzed for nine hours by counter-terrorism officers after being arrested as part of an inquiry into Home Office leaks, provoking fury among Conservatives and other backbench MPs.

The short film, released on the Conservatives' website on Tuesday, shows Tory MP Andrew Mackay entering Green's House of Commons office as Metropolitan Police officers carried out a search.

The officers quickly ushered out Mackay and a colleague filming the scene after the MP asked for an explanation of what was going on.

"Could I ask you to leave ... This is currently a scene that we are going to search and it is not appropriate that you be in here," the unidentified officer was recorded as saying.

MPs of all parties have questioned why Commons Speaker Michael Martin apparently gave police permission to enter Parliament and search Green's office. Some have called for him to quit.

Martin is due to make a statement on the affair on Wednesday after parliament returns from recess for the Queen's Speech.

Conservative Home affairs spokesman Dominic Grieve said Conservative MPs would not disrupt the Queen's visit in protest over the arrest as some reports had suggested.  Continued...