Sir, How extraordinary that the police should believe that they have the right to enter Parliament, arrest one of its members and search his office and his computer files (report, Dec 1). Even more extraordinary, it appears that the Speaker of the House actually condoned such action.

When, in 1829, the scheme to create the Metropolitan Police was put forward, it was denounced as an insidious attempt to enslave the people by arbitrary and tyrannical methods. These fears were allayed by emphasising that the sovereignty of Parliament was a firm assurance that such dangers could never arise. Parliament must reassert its rights immediately, and the officer who authorised the action should be called to answer for his conduct. If Michael Martin, the Speaker, is not prepared to take such action, Her Majesty must order a dissolution so that a Parliament can be elected which has a proper sense of its constitutional responsibility.

Group Captain James Lloyd Davies (Ret’d)

London N6

Sir, At a time when we are coming to terms with a real terrorist outrage, what are counter-terrorism officers doing investigating leaks that are apparently embarrassing to the Government? Lest we forget, a couple of years ago anti-terrorist legislation was used to remove an old man who was heckling a Labour Party conference, and much more recently it was reported to have been used against an Icelandic bank. An uncomfortable pattern seems to be emerging.

Robin Cooke-Hurle

London SW11

Sir, Where was the Speaker when the hard-earned privileges of Parliament were being trampled upon by the police and the Home Office? Apparently, giving his personal permission for the office of an MP, whose powers and privileges he is charged with protecting, to be ransacked by the Anti-Terrorist Squad with apparently no justification other than that he has made revelations about government cover-ups and was probably about to embarrass them further.

That the Speaker of the House of Commons should allow himself to be used in this way in an act that threatens the dismantling of centuries of our political freedoms is unbelievable and for that reason alone he should be removed from office.

Stephen Porter

London NW6

Sir, I don’t think the selection of letters you have printed (Dec 1) reflects the visceral anger that many of us feel about the arrest of Damian Green. Arresting opposition MPs is a tactic used by police states all over the world, not only Mr Mugabe’s but now, it seems, ours as well. For the first time in more than 50 years I am planning to vote Conservative and I suspect I am far from alone.

James Drife

Leeds

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