Britain: Downing Street maintains no decisions have been reached on a proposal to lift the 40-year official "ban" on the tapping of MPs' telephones.
Defence secretary Dr John Reid sidestepped suggestions that he is leading a cabinet revolt against prime minister Tony Blair's reported enthusiasm to abandon the so-called "Wilson doctrine" exempting MPs from covert surveillance by the secret service MI5.
Speaking on ITV's Jonathan Dimbleby programme, he confirmed that the proposal to lift the ban - imposed by then prime minister Harold Wilson in 1966 - had originated with the interception of communications commissioner Sir Swinton Thomas.
Dr Reid said: "He has made a recommendation to cabinet and cabinet decided, quite correctly, that this was worthy of deep reflection and more consideration. So that is the position, it's not something that's been brought forward at the behest of the prime minister.
"Indeed, it's the result of us having established a level of scrutiny over phone-tapping which never existed, and a recommendation from the commissioner that MPs should be treated the same as everyone else." The Independent on Sunday yesterday reported that Dr Reid provoked "a furious row" in the cabinet just before Christmas over the proposal to expand MI5's powers in the wake of last year's London bombings.
But when asked by Dimbleby if he was worried about this possible development, Dr Reid would only say: "If you do not mind, I'll discuss that with my cabinet colleagues and then we'll make a collective decision."
In his most recent parliamentary answers on the issue, Mr Blair maintained the "Wilson doctrine" still held, while refusing to comment on its obvious breach at least in respect of Sinn Féin MPs from Northern Ireland.
Labour MP Andrew Mackinlay has warned Mr Blair any attempt to reverse it will face stiff opposition. He said it was "a hallmark of a civilised country" that the state did not spy on its elected representatives.
Liberal Democrat Norman Baker said MPs were entitled to protection from monitoring of their phone calls. "I think in a democracy it's extremely important that members of parliament can operate without the suspicion that what they say on the telephone can be collected by the security services and relayed to the government," he said.