Damian Green MarkII

I see that the Police and the House of Commons authorities have done it again. It seems that the Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski had hid office searched by the police without a warrant. Apparently:

"Mr Kawczynski said he had received a phone call from an assistant telling him that police were searching his office.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he used a point of order to raise the matter, saying: "I am extremely shocked at what I am going to say."

Mr Kawczynski added: "I received a note from my office that there was a police officer in my office demanding to see correspondence.

"They were already present in my office and I went down to see them after making my speech."

The police had been investigating an "important case", the MP said, involving correspondence sent to ministers and had wanted "handwritten samples" of letters received by him."

As Daniel Kawczynski's colleague Tobias Ellwood said following the search of Mr Green's Commons office "we did have assurances that no offices would be entered unless a warrant was produced and that clearly hasn't happened today and we deserve to have some sort of clarification by the home secretary".


Does Michael Martin have any control over the precincts of the House of Commons? Or did he or his officials collude with the Police in their search, after all they were investigating the sending of an envelope filled with a white powder (actually flour) to Gordon Brown's close colleague Ed Balls?


UPDATE:
Thursday morning and the BBC are reporting a slight change in the story, but as it is the BBC cfan we believe them? Apparently:

"Scotland Yard said a Parliament-based police officer had entered the office "by appointment".

...

a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "At 1750 this evening an officer based at the Palace of Westminster entered a member's office by appointment concerning a local investigation.

"The investigation was concerning a series of letters received at the House containing non-noxious white powder.

"The officer did not request to search the office and no search was conducted.

"A piece of correspondence matching handwriting of those under investigation was removed from the office after permission was granted by the MP.""