I am not at all surprised that Damian Green will not face any charges in relation to claims he was involved in leaking sensitive Home Office information.

He is evidently and understandably relieved. I suspect he’s not the only one. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith – for whom the word “beleaguered” seems to have been invented - will not publicly say it, of course, but I cannot believe that she was relishing the idea of a court case either, given that Mr Green's lawyers would have sought full disclosure of potentially damaging documents.

Jacqui Smith has stuck to the line that it was up to the Metropolitan Police - so far silent on today's developments - how it handled the arrest process and I suppose that’s true to a degree.

But I don’t think that it will wash with many people, who rightly or wrongly, have come to the conclusion that the Government was somehow complicit in the whole affair, knew exactly what was going on and was really out to stop embarrassing leaks rather than preventing the disclosure of information that might endanger national security.

The statement from the Crown Prosecution Service is carefully worded but it’s interesting to see the explicit reference to the right of the Press to publish information and the bit that says “it has to be recognised that some damage to the proper functioning of public institutions is almost inevitable in every case where restricted or confidential information is leaked.”

read our coverage of today's developments and reaction here