Smith accused of blackening reputation of anti-terror police

Published on Monday 20 April 2009 22:08

HOME Secretary Jacqui Smith was accused of bringing counter-terrorism operations into disrepute with the raid of the homes and offices of Tory MP Damian Green.

The criticism came from a Labour MP, Kate Hoey, who warned that the resource-strapped police should not have been diverted for so long on the hunt for Home Office leaks.

She said that "hordes" of police had been "trailing around an individual MP over something that ended up nothing to do with national security".

"Do you not think that this is really what is bringing the whole way that we handle international terrorism in this country into disrepute?" Ms Hoey said.

The Home Secretary rejected the claim, adding that "the systematic nature of the leaks" meant "the damage shouldn't have been underestimated".

However, Ms Smith looked close to tears in her statement to MPs on this month's counter-terrorism operation in north-west England, in which 12 Pakistani nationals, 11 of whom were here on student visas, were arrested.

Angry MPs said that she had dodged questions on the policing of the G20 protests and the arrest of Mr Green.