The powerful boss of Parliament’s media committee has demanded the Met formally withdraws the chilling threat to prosecute journalists for reporting the contest of secret memos.
Speaking to The Sun, Damian Collins also called for Scotland Yard to issue a fresh statement to reassure newspapers that they are free to report leaked documents.
And the chairman of the influential Commons Foreign Affairs committee Tom Tugendhat declared: “Police threats to media freedom have no place in the UK.”
It follows the furious backlash against the Met’s Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, who warned editors may face court if they failed to hand over official papers.
His extraordinary warning to the media came as he launched the Met’s hunt for the mole who leaked comments by Britain’s US ambassador Sir Kim Darroch about Donald Trump - and drafted in GCHQ spies to help find the leaker.
Calling for the Met to retract the statement Mr Collins, a Tory MP, told The Sun: “The Metropolitan Police should withdraw the statement and make it clear that there is no legal risk for newspapers freely reporting on the leaked documents.
“Neil Basu’s statement was clearly a threat aimed at newspaper editors encouraging them not to report on a story, in which there is clear public interest.
“This was wrong. If an offence has been committed it is by the leaker and the police investigation should focus on that.”