Green bail extended by two months
By politics.co.uk staff
Shadow immigration minister Damian Green will have to wait another two months before finding out if he is to be charged over Home Office leaks.
The police notice comes as it was revealed the overtime and expenses claims of police investigating the matter now runs to £60,000.
Mr Green’s bail has now been extended until April, with Scotland Yard saying it needs more time to consider the impact of ‘parliamentary privilege’ on the case.
Parliamentary privilege is the system whereby MPs are protected against legal repercussions when inside the Palace of Westminster. It is commonly used by MPs to make statements within the Commons which would otherwise be considered defamatory.
The Home Office official who is accused of passing Mr Green the relevant information will also have to wait another two months.
A joint Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) statement said: “The bail date for Christopher Galley and Damian Green has today (Friday) been extended from February 17 to April 20 because issues of parliamentary privilege raised by Damian Green have yet to be resolved.
“The CPS has considered all the material already submitted and intends to make a decision on whether to charge Christopher Galley and Damian Green as soon as reasonably practicable after receiving any further available evidence.”
