In February 2007, high profile raids were carried out in the British city of Birmingham. At the time, Conspiracy Times reported these raids were there to deflect attention away from serious political problems the Home Office and the Labour Party were facing. Two months on, Conspiracy Times is proven correct.

The British newspaper "The Guardian" has been told that an aide to John Reid, the Home Secretary, was responsible for one of those leaks, and has also learnt that there is strong suspicion among the highest-ranking police at Scotland Yard that one of their own officers also briefed the media. The media briefings occurred ahead of certain arrests in the Birmingham area, allowing the media to prepare for on-site "breaking news" report, and propelling the arrests to dominate the news.
The arrests coincided with serious problems for the Labour Party, which had just seen a series of arrests and questioning about the cash-for-honours scandals, as well as major operational and organisational problems within the Home Office.

The Guardian spoke to sources that confirm the Home Office, and the police, briefed the media. This resulted in a mass presence of reporters in Birmingham, but could seriously have endangered lives. At best, it escalated what was a rather low key series of arrests into a full media frenzy. It emerged that journalists received up to three separate briefings about an allegation that a group of men was planning to abduct and behead a Muslim British soldier.

Faced with the knowledge that such briefings had occurred, Tony Blair nevertheless rejected calls for an inquiry. Liberal Democrats called upon the police to investigate.
The row over the leaks which accompanied those arrests erupted after deputy assistant commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command, warned on April 24, 2007, that such disclosures, both in advance of operations and while they were ongoing, could be illegal and highly dangerous.

Since the arrests, "The Guardian" has learned that:
- Journalists on at least one tabloid paper were tipped off the night before the raids, with the result that some travelled there before anyone had been arrested.
- The following morning, while one suspect remained at large, a small number of journalists were receiving briefings on lurid details of the alleged plot.
- A senior Whitehall official told reporters from two tabloids that a number of Muslim soldiers had agreed to act as bait in an attempt to trap the plotters.

The Guardian had also been told by a well-placed source that this information - which later proved to be inaccurate - came from one of Mr Reid's officials. However, in a development which could prove to be a serious embarrassment for Mr Clarke and his colleagues, senior Scotland Yard sources said they feared that one of the leaks had come from within the force itself.
In his speech on the terrorist threat to the UK, Mr Clarke said: "What I am talking about is the deliberate leaking of highly sensitive operational intelligence, often classified, and the unauthorised release of which can be a criminal offence. What is clear is that there are a number, a small number I am sure, of misguided individuals who betray confidences. Perhaps they look to curry favour with certain journalists, or to squeeze out some short term presentational advantage - I do not know what motivates them." Conspiracy Times would argue that the true motivation is political.

Amid calls from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats for an inquiry, the Prime Minister said he "completely condemned" such leaks. He added that "as far as I am aware" no minister, civil servant or special adviser had been involved. The question is how he can be "aware" without an investigation.
That sentiment was shared by David Cameron, the opposition leader, who told Blair at Prime Minister's question time: "You say you are pretty certain it's not a minister or a special adviser. But if you haven't had a leak inquiry, how on earth can you know? I'm sure you understand the damage the culture of leak and spin has done to your government. When it comes to national security this can actually cost lives. So will you today confirm that you'll establish an independent leak inquiry, led by a senior and independent figure - yes or no?"
Blair replied: "No, I will not confirm that, for this very simple reason. If you have evidence that someone has been involved in such a thing I will of course have it properly investigated. But what I'm not going to do is have a situation in which you simply make this allegation, leave it hanging there without any evidence to back it up whatever. If I was being unkind, I would call that a smear." Pots and kettles come to mind...

Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, former head of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), said: "It's very serious. I personally think that it's something the government ought to be investigating and it ought to be making the results of any such investigation actually known to the public. And they ought to prosecute. This is what the Official Secrets Act is there for." Sir Paul Lever, another former JIC chairman, said: "Whatever you think of this culture of spin as a general phenomenon, if it encroaches on the area of police operations and the handling of sensitive intelligence matters, then that can be very, very damaging."