There's been a major breach of security at the houses of parliament in the UK with Russian diplomats entering as part of a tour group, then breaking away to a private area of the building. The incident, which reportedly occurred last month, has alarmed security officials and prompted warnings to MP's.
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00:00The meeting place of the UK Parliament, the Palace of Westminster here behind me, is one
00:07of the most famous, one of the most recognisable buildings in the world.
00:12So it's no surprise that it's one of the most popular places to visit here in London.
00:17There are about 25 public tours that go through the building every day, as well as other tours
00:22arranged by members of the Parliament, members of the House of Lords and other officials
00:27here.
00:28On Christmas though, there was a small group of Russian diplomats who reportedly used the
00:33cover of one of these tours to get into the building.
00:36It's been reported in the UK media that they joined a tour, then broke off to enter a part
00:42of the House of Lords that was out of bounds, before being discovered by security and removed.
00:48It's a significant breach of security because the Russian ambassador, diplomats and other
00:53officials who work at the embassy here in London have been banned from the UK Parliament
00:59since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine back in 2022.
01:03MPs, peers and staff who work in this building are said to be alarmed by the breach.
01:09The speakers of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords have both issued messages
01:14reminding everyone about the ban on Russian officials and urging them to be vigilant.
01:18A parliamentary spokesperson told the ABC that the safety and security of all those
01:23who work here is their top priority, however they couldn't comment on their security measures.
01:28Following this stunning security breach, those measures are no doubt being reviewed.