An unsettling week

Whatever your political persuasion, the past week has not been a happy one.

The abhorrent attacks in Mumbai, killing at least 188 people, dominated - reminders that terrorist threats still exist in many countries across the world.

Closer to home, we had the strange news of Ashford MP Damian Green's arrest on suspicion of abuse of public office. This has caused uproar in every party, and many questions have been asked of what Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin knew about the police's intentions.

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It is indeed worrying that police were able to raid Green's office without a warrant. This is true for any unwarranted police search, no matter on whose property it takes place. But the argument of many MPs, mainly in the Conservative Party, has been that Jacqui Smith should have intervened on the basis that Green was an MP.

But why should politicians be above the law? Certainly, the police and relevant Government ministers must not be allowed to interfere with MPs' ability to carry out their jobs. But if the police seriously suspect an MP of having abused his or her office by leaking official secrets, then MPs should be subject to the same laws as the rest of us. The idea that police should treat MPs differently from members of the public has dangerous implications '“ what would the Conservatives who complained suggest that the police do if an MP uses his or her office to hide drugs or stolen goods, for example?

The privileges given to MPs apply only to proceedings in Parliament, not to their wider activities. It would be a very worrying state if the justice system ceased to be applied to MPs too, and the Government must not let this happen.