The Metropolitan Police has denied claims from former Speaker Michael Martin that Commons officials were tricked into allowing a search of the office of Ashford MP Damian Green.

Lord Martin told a committee of MPs investigating how future requests to search offices should be dealt with that he had been "let down" by Serjeant at Arms Jill Pay, who failed to require a warrant for the search.

But when he asked her to explain her conduct, her boss Malcolm Jack, the Commons clerk in charge of security, had stepped in to say "that Chief Superintendent Bateman had bamboozled the Serjeant and tricked her into keeping the matter from her immediate superiors".

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said it was surprised by the claims made to the committee, whose members include the Folkestone and Hythe MP Michael Howard.

The Met Police statement said: “At no point did Chief Superintendent Bateman, or any officer from the MPS, attempt to 'bamboozle' or 'trick' anyone in this matter and we strongly refute this. There is a clear audit trail, including a letter and signed search consent form, which supports this and which will be presented to the committee at the appropriate time.

At no stage in the past year has Lord Martin ever brought these allegations to our attention, despite the enormous publicity the case has generated.”

During his evidence, Lord Martin also said that on learning of the possible arrest, he had at first suspected a link with a terrorism.

He said: "In my mind I had an idea of Islamic or Irish terrorism. I had no idea at the time of the very different type of offence of which Mr Green was being accused."

No charges were brought against Mr Green after his arrest last November in connection with a Home Office leaks inquiry. The MP had always denied any wrong-doing and an official inquiry into events later ruled the police action had not been "proportionate" and the leaks did not threaten national security.