For All Your 'Mole Infestation' Problems Hire Special Advisor Jack Russell !

For All Your 'Mole Infestation' Problems Hire Special Advisor Jack Russell !





Do you hear, do you hear that thunder? ooh yeah! - Men at Work

From the Telegraph

Damian Green affair: Police hunting for Whitehall moles, says Jacqui Smith
Police are hunting for a number of moles across Whitehall following the Damian Green leak affair, Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, has suggested.

As I previously commented upon, this story has and will rumble on.....





By Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent
Last Updated: 11:26PM GMT 04 Dec 2008
Damian Green - Damian Green affair: Police hunting for Whitehall moles, says Jacqui Smith
Damian Green's arrest has prompted a hunt for Whitehall moles, says Jacqui Smith

She told MPs that the police leak inquiry which led to the arrest of the shadow immigration minister and a junior civil servant was only one of a number of similar investigations by the police.

Rumours have been circulating about a mole in a senior position at the Treasury, particularly after key sections of last month's pre-Budget report were leaked in advance.

Miss Smith appeared to confirm the reports, telling MPs: "There have been other situations where the police have been invited to investigate."

A Home Office spokesman later added: "There are other police inquiries going on about other moles."

Neither the Cabinet Office, whose role it is to liaise with the police over investigations, or Scotland Yard would comment.

The Home Secretary's revelation came as she attempted to explain to MPs the chain of events which led to the raids on the homes and Commons office of Mr Green, insisting that she did not know of his arrest in advance.

She was embarrassed when her predecessor, John Reid, expressed surprised at her lack of involvement in the dramatic events of last week.

In a rare intervention, he told her: ``I have to say I'm surprised that you weren't informed that your opposite number, effectively, was about to be arrested.

``I can not think that if I had been told that this had been done after the event that I would have remained as placid as you have in these circumstances.

``For my part I would have wanted to have been informed and to have expressed a view on it."

Miss Smith hit back: ``On the subject of placidity, sometimes I think it behoves Home Secretaries to deal calmly with issues that are of significance, such as this one.''

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, described the claim that she did not know the police were planning to swoop on Mr Green as "utterly inexplicable," while Miss Smith's opposite number, Dominic Grieve, accused her of seeking to ``wash her hands'' of her responsibilities.

(and a shout arose from the crowd "Give us Barabbas")

He added: ``This episode has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with political embarrassment.

``It heralds a systematic breakdown in trust between officials and ministers arising from the Home Secretary's willingness to conceal failings in her department on matters of manifest public interest.''

Flippin' heck! Though it chokes me to say this but..Well done John! but IMHO it is more to do with, as the old East end gangster expression, 'putting the frighteners on 'em'

Miss Smith defended the police operation on the grounds that the leaks received by Mr Green had struck "at the heart of Government."

Next time use a bigger stake, you know what the undead are like...

She accused Mr Grieve of being "cavalier" in his response to the scandal, adding that the "sustained" leaking by the Home Office mole Christopher Galley, a junior civil servant, gave cause for concern because he had access to sensitive information, potentially relating to matters of national security.

"Even if I had been informed, I believe it would have been wholly inappropriate for me to seek to intervene in the operational decisions being taken by the police," she said. "I don't do that and I should not do that."

Oh yes! the cry of National Security, a useful tool of the powerful to commit all sorts of High Crimes and misdemeanours.

Damian Green affair: Police hunting for Whitehall moles, says Jacqui Smith - Telegraph

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