Straw: Ministers not behind bugging row
Monday, 4 February 2008 12:00 AM
The justice secretary has told MPs ministers were not involved in claims an MP was bugged.
But Jack Straw said surveillance commissioner Sir Christopher Rose will investigate claims the Tooting MP Sadiq Khan was covertly recorded while visiting a constituent in prison, breaching a 40-year-old convention.
The bugging of MPs' and peers' phone calls is prohibited under the Wilson Doctrine and it was assumed it covered all conversations.
Shadow home secretary David Davis speculated the prime minister or home secretary would have had to approve a breach of the convention.
Mr Straw said, however, in this case a senior police officer would have been able to authorise the interception, clearing ministers of all involvement.
It is now believed an officer at Thames Valley Police made the decision to record the conversations.
The justice secretary also appeared to suggest this meant the Wilson Doctrine had not been breached, pointing to clarification by Gordon Brown that the doctrine applies to "all forms of interception that are subject to authorisation by secretary of state warrant".
Mr Straw said Sir Christopher's inquiry, described as fact-finding, would report to the House of Commons in two weeks.
Mr Davis claimed he wrote to Downing Street last year saying he had "reason to believe" an MP had been bugged.
Number 10 maintains it never received the letter.
The Sunday Times reported yesterday that 37-year-old Mr Khan had been recorded while visiting Babar Ahmad in Woodhill, Milton Keynes in 2005 and 2006.
Mr Ahmad is a constituent of Mr Khan as well as a childhood friend.
He is facing extradition to the US over claims he ran a website used to raise funds for terrorist groups.
Mr Khan said it was important to establish whether he had been bugged in order that people could feel confident in the police and security service.
He told the BBC's Andrew Marr show: "Clearly I'm concerned. That's why I'm pleased Jack Straw, as soon as he heard about these allegations yesterday, has ordered an inquiry.
"I'm obviously keen ... to find out whether the allegations are true because the implications clearly are quite serious."
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