PM must come clean on legality of MP intelligence probes

The Liberal Democrats have written to the Prime Minister and demanded that he confirm if the Conservative Government has sanctioned any intelligence gathering or surveillance on MPs and, if so, on what legal basis.   The calls follow briefings from a Downing Street source that the government was working on "extensive investigations into Dominic Grieve, Oliver Letwin and Hilary Benn and their involvement with foreign powers and the funding of their activities".   Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary Chuka Umunna warned that Downing Street's behaviour was designed to "suppress dissent" and has written to Boris Johnson seeking clarity.   Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary Chuka Umunna said:   “In order to ensure Parliament can scrutinise HM Government’s foreign policy and hold Ministers to account for their actions, it is vital for MPs from opposition parties to have dialogue with other governments. It informs our work for the British public, free from interference by HM Government.   “If Boris Johnson’s Government has sanctioned an intelligence probe into these links, it would represent an attack on our constitution and our democracy. Not only is the legality questionable but the mere threat of this action amounts to the harassment and intimidation of MPs which one associates with authoritarian regimes, not mature democracies.”