Police enter MP's office
Thursday, 22 January 2009 12:00 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
A Tory MP has alleged police entered his office in Westminster without a warrant to search for a letter from a constituent.
Daniel Kawczynski told the Commons he was informed the police were in his office by staff.
Mr Kawczynski told the Commons: "They said they were investigating an important case with regards to correspondence that had been sent to ministers and wanted to see handwriting samples of writing that people had written to me.
"I was extremely appalled that the officer can behave in this way, to enter a Member of Parliament's office with no warrant and to demand constituency correspondence.
"To my great embarrassment and eternal shame, I was so weak I handed over the letter they demanded from my constituent."
They were searching for correspondence linked to a threatening letter sent to children's secretary Ed Balls.
Police say they did not search the office, but requested a handwriting sample to match the original letter.
The Met said an officer entered Mr Kawczynski's Westminster office "by appointment", and the MP had agreed to hand over a letter allegedly matching the handwriting of those under investigation.
Mr Kawczynski gave police the letter, an action he yesterday told MPs was to his eternal "shame".
The incident sparked calls for Jacqui Smith to make a statement to MPs and for Commons Speaker Michael Martin to investigate.
Damien Green's Commons office was searched as part of a Home Office leak inquiry in November last year.
Following that incident Mr Martin pledged that police would never again be allowed access to an MP's office or parliamentary papers without a warrant and the personal approval of the Speaker.
The Home Office declined to comment on the incident, saying it was a matter for the police. A spokesman for Mr Martin's office confirmed he had been made aware of the latest incident after Mr Kawczynski raised it in the Commons on Wednesday night.
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