Porn check on Green’s computers since the day he became a minister

DAMIAN Green’s computer records during five years in government are being checked following claims that ‘extreme’ pornography was found on a machine in his office while in opposition.

Sue Gray, director-general of propriety and ethics at the Cabinet Office, is understood to have asked officials if there is evidence of attempts to access pornography from computers used by Mr Green since he first became a minister in 010.

Theresa May’s deputy has been under investigation since November 1 following claims by Tory activist Kate Maltby that he made unwanted advances towards her, which he denies. The inquiry has now been widened to look at claims by a former police chief that pornography was found on a computer in Mr Green’s Commons office in 008.

Mrs Gray, who is leading the inquiry, has interviewed Mr Green about Miss Maltby’s claim and the alleged pornography. She has also interviewed former members of his staff in a bid to ensure that no further claims about his conduct are set to emerge. The review is said to have turned up nothing.

Mr Green, the First Secretary of State, is facing investigation into whether he breached the ministerial code which governs the conduct of ministers.

The pornography claims are outside

‘Disreputable political smear’

the scope of the code because they took place before he was a minister.

But a Whitehall source said Mrs Gray also asked for checks to be made to establish whether concerns had ever been raised about pornography being accessed by computers used by Mr Green in government. A source close to the minister said last night that he had no knowledge of other computer records being accessed, but said Mr Green flatly denied downloading computer pornography.

Mr Green denies all knowledge of the material allegedly found on a computer in his office almost a decade ago. And he accused ex-Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Bob Quick of a ‘disreputable political smear’ after the claim leaked out.

Mr Green has also faced criticism for apparently changing his story on the pornography allegations during the course of Mrs Gray’s inquiry.

When the allegations first emerged on November 5 he said: ‘This story is completely untrue.

‘The allegations about the material and computer, now nine years old, are false, disreputable political smears from a discredited police officer.’

But on November 13 he appeared to drop his insistence that it was ‘untrue’ that pornography had been found on a computer in his office. Instead he said he had not been told about any find at the time.

A source close to Mr Green denied he had changed his story, saying he had always been clear that he had no knowledge about the pornography allegations.