Labour leader’s secretary Iram Awan’s work in Westminster with just a temporary pass may have breached parliamentary rules

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

House of Commons authorities have launched an investigation after it emerged that an aide in Jeremy Corbyn’s office has been working in parliament without a pass.

The Labour leader’s private secretary, Iram Awan, was reported by the Huffington Post to have been working regularly in Westminster for more than nine months with a temporary guest pass.

A House of Commons spokesman said: “An investigation into an alleged breach of parliamentary rules has been launched and so we will not be commenting further.”

Another Corbyn aide, Unite’s chief of staff, Andrew Murray, who has been on part-time secondment to Labour for several months, also confirmed that he had not yet obtained a permanent pass. Murray had been a communist before joining Labour in 2016.

Temporary, paper passes are issued to visitors, who must pass through airport-style security checks each time they enter parliament.

They must be accompanied by a permanent passholder at all times in the sprawling parliamentary estate, which covers several adjoining buildings, including the House of Commons and Portcullis House.

Security precautions at Westminster are tight in the wake of the terrorist attack last year that resulted in the fatal stabbing of a police officer.

According to the official policy, clearance can be “refused or withdrawn” in the event of security concerns; or where “personal circumstances, current or past conduct indicate that an individual may be susceptible to pressure or improper influence”.

However, a Labour source said: “We have not been told that any member of staff has been refused a pass or any reasons for why any pass may not have yet been granted.”

With the process of completing the security checks for a pass sometimes taking many weeks and even months, some MPs concede privately that it is not unusual for staffers to start their job before a permanent pass has been issued.

Awan took over the role vacated by Laura Parker, who left Corbyn’s office to become the national coordinator of the grassroots Labour pressure group Momentum.

A Labour spokesperson refused to comment “on staffing matters”.

Corbyn’s team of aides and advisers, known in Labour as LOTO (Leader of the Opposition’s Office), includes more than 40 staff.