Parliamentary authorities launch investigation into Jeremy Corbyn aide over security clearance claims

'Visitors passes are for visitors only. They cannot be used to carry out work on the parliamentary estate'

Parliament (PA)

Parliamentary authorities have launched an investigation into claims a member of Jeremy Corbyn’s team has been working on the parliamentary estate without security clearance.

It comes after reports emerged that Iram Arwan, a private secretary to the Labour leader, had been using a visitors pass for nine months while working in Mr Corbyn’s office in the Palace of Westminster.

According to the Huffington Post, Ms Arwan had not yet passed the security vetting which all individuals working on the estate must go through to receive a pass.

Ms Arwan started in the role in 2017 when her predecessor, Laura Parker, left Mr Corbyn’s office to become the new national co-ordinator of left-wing organisation, Momentum.

The report added that the aide to Mr Corbyn had been going through the X-ray machine like other visitors and then escorted to the office by a pass holder in the Labour leader’s office.

The Commons authorities have made clear that anyone working on the premises must have been through the standard vetting process, and that “working on the estate on a visitor pass would be in breach of this rule”.

A spokesperson added: “Visitors passes are for visitors only. They cannot be used to carry out work on the parliamentary estate.”

They said they could not comment on individual cases but added that an “investigation into an alleged breach of the parliamentary rules has been launched.”

A Labour source told the Huffington Post the party had not been told any member of staff has been refused a pass “or any reasons for why any pass may not have yet been granted”.

Labour said it did not comment on staffing matters when approached by The Independent.

Parliaments vetting policy states: There are three different types of national security vetting clearance: Counter Terrorist Check (CTC), Security Check (SC) and Developed Vetting (DV)...

“They are all intended to allow Parliament to assess whether individuals who are to be employed in sensitive posts or critical functions might represent a security risk directly or indirectly. Applicants for a Parliamentary Pass will normally undergo a CTC only”