Banned Russian diplomats infiltrate UK parliament’s private area

The Guardian reports that a group of Russian diplomats gained access to a private area of the UK Parliament during a tour ahead of Christmas. Russian ambassadors, diplomats, and embassy officials have been banned from visiting the UK Parliament since 2022 after Moscow imposed sanctions on numerous deputies following the start of its ll-out war against Ukraine. In 2024, a small group of Russian diplomats joined a public tour inside the UK Parliament building. They later lagged behind the main group and entered a part of the House of Lords outside the tour's designated areas before being spotted by security and escorted out.

“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 said.

As a result of this incident, British MPs were formally reminded not to invite Russian diplomats to Parliament. It remains unclear whether the group was part of a tour sponsored by a politician or if they purchased tickets as regular visitors. On 16 January, the Commons speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and the Lords speaker, Lord McFall of Alcluith, privately reminded MPs and colleagues to remain vigilant against attempts by Russia to bypass parliamentary security. Read more:

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