A leading Conservative has described the arrest of Damian Green and the raid on his parliamentary office as acts that could have been committed under President Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe.

Michael Portillo, the former minister who is now a well-known political commentator, said he could not understand how Scotland Yard had ever considered it necessary to arrest the Ashford MP.

His denunciation of events surrounding the arrest of the Kent Conservative MP were made during a speech to Kent journalists in Maidstone.

Mr Portillo said: “To me, the arrest of Damian Green, who had committed nothing more important than embarrassing the Government, indicates a really alarming issue.

"Before our startled eyes, we have lurched to becoming like Zimbabwe. The anti-terrorist police turned up in his office. How that happened, I cannot imagine."

However, he welcomed the strong statement from the Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer, which argued the material leaked by the MP could be construed as being in the public interest.

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