Bodyguards for senior Cabinet ministers have been working without security clearance, according to a leaked letter.
Close protection officers working for the Government have been deployed “without appropriate security clearances or passes” on “multiple occasions”, the letter alleges.
The disclosure has led to concerns that Britain’s national security has been put in jeopardy, as individuals with privileged access to MPs and ministers are often targets for hostile states.
On Saturday afternoon, the Home Office was urged to launch an urgent investigation to establish the facts, and to ensure safeguards were put in place so that such a lapse in security did not happen again.
The revelation puts pressure on the Government to tighten its security vetting procedures. Last week it emerged that Lord Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the US, received sensitive security briefings and held discussions with the head of MI6, before his vetting was complete.
The Home Office has a contract with Mitie, the outsourcing firm, to provide bodyguards for ministers and MPs who are deemed to be at a high risk of attack.
Employees of Mitie’s security division have written to Gary Culloden, the company’s managing director for security, to raise a number of “serious and ongoing concerns”.
Their letter, which was submitted as a formal grievance by Mitie union members last month, explains that their concerns are “not isolated incidents”, and instead “represent repeated and consistent issues experienced collectively across multiple teams and operational deployments over a prolonged period of time”.
One section of the letter relates to concerns about “security clearances and intelligence-sharing”.
“There have reportedly been multiple occasions where individuals have been deployed without appropriate security clearances or passes,” the letter says.
The letter says there are “substantial concerns” about the equipment used by bodyguards.
A source familiar with the complaint described the security lapses as an “accident waiting to happen”.
Robert Clark, a security expert and research fellow at the Yorktown Institute, said: “This case highlights the risks posed to national security when individuals are afforded privileged security access to MPs and ministers – many of whom are targeted across Parliament by malign actors from authoritarian states seeking highly sensitive intelligence or information which can be used against the UK’s interests.
“When security officers are deployed without the prior security clearances, they become the weak link in a security chain, which threatens our national security, and will open themselves up to possible espionage incidents, but also and more immediately their own backgrounds and character are unknown having not gone through security clearance checks.”
Chris Philp MP, the shadow home secretary, said: “These complaints raise serious concerns and the Home Office must urgently investigate how individuals were deployed on close protection duties without the appropriate security clearances in place.
“This is a national security issue. The Government must establish the full facts, identify how these failures occurred and ensure robust safeguards are put in place to prevent them happening again.”
The letter, seen by The Telegraph, explained that staff had decided to launch a formal grievance with Mitie with the assistance of their union because they felt that previous concerns raised had either been ignored or led to “negative consequences” for those raising them.
“Many employees feel reluctant to speak openly regarding operational issues, welfare concerns, management decisions, or safety matters due to a genuine fear of being removed from teams, stood down from operational duties, overlooked for future work, or otherwise treated unfavourably,” the letter said.
‘National security issue’
Georgina Halford-Hall, chief executive at Whistleblowers UK, said: “We have spoken with a number of people who work in close protection and provided support after they have raised concerns about personal safety and the culture at Mitie.
“This case demonstrates that whistleblowing is not just an employment issue but a national security issue that requires immediate action from the Government to prevent serious harm.”
Ms Halford-Hall is calling for a new regulator to be set up, the Office of the Whistleblower, which would offer a secure and confidential reporting platform and independent and targeted investigations that hold wrongdoers to account.
Keith Henderson, a Unite regional officer, said: “Our workers have raised serious issues about workplace safety amongst other concerns.
“Regrettably, Mitie has rejected these legitimate concerns but it has refused to even meet with Unite. This matter will not disappear. If Mitie fails to act, Unite will escalate.”
A Mitie spokesman said: “We want all our colleagues to feel safe and supported in their roles, and all the points raised by Unite that sit within our contractual remit have been acknowledged and resolved.
“We encourage colleagues to speak up, which is why we have robust reporting channels and processes in place, including an independent, anonymous whistleblowing hotline for anyone who does not feel comfortable raising concerns directly.”
Mitie said that all employees on the Home Office contract held appropriate clearances and intelligence-sharing arrangements remained formally established and fully operational.
The Home Office said all operatives deployed under its contract with Mitie were subject to background checks.