Corbyn’s Private Secretary Routinely Working In Parliament Without Security Clearance

The Huffington Post is a favourite American news source of the BBC. However this piece 

https://m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jeremy-corbyn-westminster-security-pass_uk is not going to be covered by the BBC. 

'One of Jeremy Corbyn's closest aides has not been granted a Parliamentary pass due to unspecified security concerns – but has continued to work in his Commons office for more than nine months.

HuffPost UK can reveal that Iram Awan, the Labour leader's Private Secretary, has not had her application approved by the authorities on the advice of the security services, due to questions over known associates.

But Awan, a British-born national whose role includes providing "strategic advice" to Corbyn, has been escorted into Parliament on a routine basis by other members of his team.

She was hired late last year and has worked in the Leader of the Opposition's office in the Palace of Westminster since despite her lack of security clearance.

With Westminster suffering another attempted terror attack this summer, the Commons authorities will face questions as to why someone so close to a senior politician has been allowed to apparently breach basic security requirements.

Counter-Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance is required by everyone working in Parliament and normally takes a matter of weeks at most to process.

Awan has routinely accessed Parliament through both its Derby Gate and Portcullis House entrances.

She goes through security checks and X-ray like other visitors, before being picked up by a member of Corbyn's team and escorted to his office. 

A total of 41 people working in Corbyn's office are listed on the Register of Interests of Members' Secretaries and Research Assistants. Awan is not among them.

The practice of Corbyn's office regularly escorting Awan into the building appears to be a clear breach of Parliament's rules on security which forbid anyone from working on the Parliamentary estate without approval.

A Parliamentary spokesperson told HuffPost UK said: "Visitor passes are for visitors only; they cannot be used to carry out work on the parliamentary estate.

"While we are unable to comment on specific cases, any alleged breach of the rules on passes will be investigated by the House authorities."

When asked about current security rules on passes, the spokesperson also said: "Anyone carrying out work on the estate must have been through the vetting process and hold a Parliamentary pass. Anyone working on the estate on a visitor pass would be in breach of this rule."

A spokesman for Corbyn said: "We don't comment on staffing matters".

But 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."

Awan's duties are understood to involve her working with Corbyn both inside and outside Parliament.

It is understood that Corbyn is personally aware that she has not been granted a pass. The reasons for the lack of clearance have not been specifically communicated to his office.'

Plenty of questions to be answered by Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party but don't expect the Labour Party's propaganda arm the BBC to show any attention. 

Thanks to the ever wonderful isthebbcbiased.blogspot.com here http://isthebbcbiased.blogspot.com/2018/09/silence.html for the spot.