Recent photos of Boris Johnson's chief aide Dominic Cummings appear to show he doesn't have the advanced level of security clearance known as “Developed Vetting” (DV) — which has frequently been awarded to individuals working in a similar role in the past.



The photographs raise questions over exactly which meetings and documents the embattled adviser has been able to access during his time in Downing Street.

Senior government officials who have frequent access to materials and information classified as “top secret” will normally undergo a DV security clearance process.

Most senior advisers to former prime ministers at a level of seniority comparable to Cummings, including Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s director of strategy and communications, and Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s chief of staff, had DV.

A rare exception was Andy Coulson, David Cameron's former press chief. He was only granted midlevel clearance, avoiding the more rigorous DV security checks. He resigned in 2011, less than a year into the job and in 2014 was sentenced to 18 months in jail for conspiracy to hack phones while he was in charge of the News of the World newspaper.

There is no suggestion that Cummings has broken any rules.

Officials that currently hold DV have green badges. But photos of Cummings published by Getty Images on Jan. 23 show Johnson’s top adviser wearing a yellow badge. The same badge is also visible in a video clip posted by Sky News following a doorstep earlier this week.

A yellow badge indicates a lower level of clearance, called “Security Check” (SC).

The main differences between SC and DV is in the classification of the materials, meetings, and other assets that the holders of each clearance level can access.

The process of obtaining DV is more lengthy, far-reaching, and intrusive, encompassing in-depth reviews of personal finances and interviews with candidates and associates. Both SC and DV cleared officials will have access to sensitive information and certain levels of classified material originating from foreign countries.

Government guidelines outlining its security clearance and vetting policies state that SC is needed for jobs involving “regular and uncontrolled access to sensitive information that is classified as SECRET” as well as “occasional, supervised access to TOP SECRET assets."

DV is described as the most detailed and comprehensive form of security clearance. The guidelines say it is required for sensitive jobs and tasks that involve "frequent and uncontrolled access to TOP SECRET assets” and any access to “TOP SECRET” restricted codeword material.