As per the report, the small group of Russian diplomats were part of the public tour of the Houses of Parliament. During the tour, they eventually separated from the general public and entered a part of the House of Lords which was out of bounds for the general public
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Amid brewing tensions between Russia and the United Kingdom, reports are emerging that Russian diplomats accessed a private area of the British parliament, alarming security officials in the building. According to a report by The Guardian, the breach took place just before Christmas and the incident prompted private warnings from speakers of both the houses.
As per the report, the small group of Russian diplomats were part of the public tour of the Houses of Parliament. During the tour, they eventually separated from the general public and entered a part of the House of Lords which was out of bounds for the general public. They were later found by security and thrown out of the premises.
“We suspect they were just wanting to crow to the Kremlin that they had infiltrated the British parliament. It’s not ideal but they were caught before any damage was done,” a parliamentary source told The Guardian. The source said that the UK government ministers were alarmed when they learned about the attempted security breach.
MPs warned not to invite Russians’
Following the incident, written warnings were sent to MPs and peers urging them to not invite Russian diplomats to the parliament. However, it is unclear whether the group was part of the guided tour sponsored by a lawmaker or if they requested one from the parliament visitor’s service.
It is pertinent to note that Russian ambassadors, diplomats and officials based in the embassy in London have been banned from visiting the parliament since 2022. The ban was put in place after Moscow imposed sanctions on several British MPs shortly after it launched its military operation in Ukraine.
According to The Guardian, the Commons speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and the Lords speaker, Lord McFall of Alcluith, on Thursday reminded the peers privately that they should be cautious about Russian efforts to penetrate parliamentary security.
“With several new members joining the house recently, I would like to take this opportunity to remind colleagues of the ongoing arrangements which have been in place since the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” the speakers wrote in a letter obtained by The Guardian.
“As the formally accredited representative of the Russian government, the Russian ambassador should not be welcomed onto the parliamentary estate until further notice. This applies to all other Russian diplomats and officials at the Russian embassy accredited to the UK,” the letter further reads.
A parliamentary spokesperson said: “The safety and security of all those who work and visit in parliament is our top priority. However, we cannot comment on our security measures.” The recent breach would raise concerns about the parliament’s security amid growing fears that Russia might launch cyber attacks against the UK.