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Boris Johnson’s top adviser Dominic Cummings is facing questions from Labour over his past in Russia after an apparent whistleblower came forward with “serious concerns”.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry has written to Tory counterpart Dominic Raab questioning whether the former Vote Leave director has been granted access to the Government’s most sensitive “top secret” intelligence files

It comes after Labour claim a whistleblower approached the party to raise questions about the “relationships” that Mr Johnson’s aide may have developed with people involved in “politics, intelligence and security” when he worked in Russia in the 1990s.

Ms Thornberry told Mr Raab she Labour did not “know the veracity of their claims” but felt compelled to inform the government they had been raised.

She wrote: “I am writing to you based on the serious concerns that have been raised with shadow ministers by an official-level whistleblower.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

"I feel duty-bound to put to you the concerns raised with the Labour front bench by a whistleblower whose motives we have no cause to question.”

The letter was also sent to Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, and the heads of MI5 and MI6. In it, Ms Thornberry also ask if Mr Cummings has been subject to “developed vetting” (DV)

The DV process sees security officials conduct detailed inquiries into a candidate's personal,financial and political life - to ensure the aren't compromised or easily susceptible to blackmail.

Ms Thornberry asked whether Mr Cummings's past raises “concerns” about him being granted “access to the highest levels of classified material, or given such high levels of influence over UK government policy”.



A senior Conservative Source said: “Voters deserve better than the conspiracy theories and smears currently emanating from the Labour Party. Only one set of people in this campaign have sided with Putin’s Kremlin as the Salisbury attack showed with Corbyn.

"That wasn’t first time Corbyn chose to back Britain’s enemies, and certainly won’t be the last.”

The Cabinet Office said: “We do not comment on individuals’ security clearance.”