Damian Green is to demand that police remove his DNA from the national database after the decision not to charge him with any offence.

A sample was taken when he was arrested in connection with leaks from the Home Office and can be retained even though he has not been charged. The law also allows samples taken from people who are subsequently acquitted to be kept.

The Ashford MP and Tory immigration spokesman is to ask Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, to remove his sample from the database. He said: "I believe that no innocent people should have their DNA on the database."

The European Court ruled in December that blanket retention of fingerprints and other DNA samples was unlawful but the Government has yet to outline proposals on how it will abide by the judgment.

The Home Office is to launch a consultation on the retention of DNA samples in the forthcoming forensics White Paper.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the force would make no comment on Mr Green's request.

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