George Osborne: two reasons to be upset

One of the first senior Conservatives to leap to the defence of Tory MP Damian Green (pictured), controversially arrested on Thursday by police investigating the leaking of Home Office information, was the shadow chancellor, George Osborne.

Speaking on BBC1's Question Time, he described the arrest as "extraordinary", adding: "It has long been the case in our democracy that MPs have received information from civil servants - I think to hide information from the public is wrong."

Green himself was furious about spending nine hours under arrest, before being bailed until February on suspicion of "conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office". The shadow immigration minister told journalists outside the House of Commons last night: "I emphatically deny I have done anything wrong... In a democracy, opposition politicians have a duty to hold the government to account."

His arrest is understood to follow that of a Home Office whistleblower after a series of leaks, including the news in February this year that an illegal immigrant had been employed as a cleaner in the House of Commons and more recently, a letter from the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith warning that a recession could lead to a rise in crime.

While George Osborne was quick to express his opinion on Green's arrest (other Tories have used the word 'Stalinesque' to describe their colleague's treatment) he has declined to comment on another matter that came to light yesterday - the news that his younger brother, Adam Osborne, is being investigated by the General Medical Council for allegedly prescribing tranquillisers for friends.

Adam, 32, who qualified as a doctor four years ago, has been banned from practising for up to 18 months while the GMC looks into the claim. It transpires that he had already resigned in May as a junior doctor at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester over the allegations, and was suspended in September. If the case against him is proved, he could be struck off the medical register.

Adam and George are two of the four sons of Sir Peter Osborne, 65, the founder and chairman of the wallpaper company Osborne & Little, and his wife, Felicity, 64. A spokesman for the shadow chancellor refused to comment and the Conservative party said it was a family matter.