A suspected illegal immigrant was arrested after being found working at the House of Commons in a potential major security breach.
\nThe woman, who is thought to be from Sierra Leone, was held by police on Friday, a Commons spokeswoman confirmed.
\nIt is believed she was arrested after spending two months working at the Palace of Westminster before it emerged her passport had allegedly been forged.
\nShe was employed as part of the catering team as a casual worker, but had been allowed to roam freely around the Commons using a permanent staff member’s pass, according to reports.
\nThe woman was working for a third party agency which would be responsible for vetting staff, a Commons spokeswoman said.
\nShe added: \u201cI can confirm that a worker for an agency contracted by the House of Commons was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on Friday 2January 2015; we cannot comment on ongoing police investigations.\u201d
\nThe spokeswoman said she could not confirm whether an internal investigation had been launched.
\nA Scotland Yard spokesman said: On Friday, 2 January officers at the Palace of Westminster were alerted by security staff to a person attending the venue believed to be in possession of a false passport.
\n“An officer attended and subsequently arrested a 37-year-old woman on suspicion of possession of a false identity document and an immigration offence.
\n“The woman was taken to a central London police station, and bailed to return on a date in January.”<\/p>\n