Chris Huhne “shocked and astonished” by Damian Green’s arrest

Speaking on Radio 4 this morning, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne said of Damian Green’s arrest:

I was frankly shocked and astonished by this. It will have a chilling effect on what MPs are able to do. Getting information into the public domain … clearly of the public interest is absolutely a key part. I find this a very worrying development.

In a longer statement, he elaborated:

Receiving information from Government departments in the public interest and publicising it is a key part of any MP’s role. This is the most worrying development for many years, with the potential to shift power even more conclusively from Parliament to the Government. It is also extraordinary considering Gordon Brown himself as Shadow Chancellor received and publicised many leaked official documents. It seems that either the law needs to be changed, or the police have overstepped the mark.