Dominic Cummings is granted a Westminster security pass despite being found in contempt of parliament

MPs call for investigation into why Boris Johnson’s adviser was given access

Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s senior adviser, has been granted a security pass for the Palace of Westminster despite having been found in contempt of parliament.

Mr Cummings was seen in parliament several times last week, at one point reportedly bellowing a challenge at Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, to accept a general election.

The former Vote Leave chief, who was appointed as a senior adviser to the prime minister in July, was found in contempt of parliament in March after refusing to give evidence to an inquiry into fake news.

Mr Cummings showed a “total disregard” for parliament’s authority, Damian Collins, the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee, said at the time.

Senior MPs have now called for an investigation into why Mr Cummings was granted a security pass.

Steve Doughty, a Labour MP on the home affairs select committee, tabled several parliamentary questions asking the House of Commons Commission “whether individuals who have been found in contempt of parliament are eligible for Commons security passes”, The Guardian reported.

He also asked on what grounds Mr Cummings was granted a pass.

According to The Guardian, Mr Doughty said: “Serious questions must be answered as to how an individual found in contempt of parliament, and over whom other allegations hang unanswered and unresolved, can be wandering around the parliamentary estate at will.

“Of equal importance the public have the right to know whether such an individual, at the heart of government, with access to the PM and potentially highly confidential papers and communications – has received the appropriate level of security clearance.”

Kate Green, chair of the Commons Committee of Privileges, said it was conducting an inquiry into “precisely this question”.

Meanwhile, Philip Hammond, the former chancellor, took an apparent swipe at Mr Cummings.

In response to Tory MP Matt Hancock’s tweet about the party being a “broad church shaped by those within it”, Mr Hammond wrote: “Sorry Matt, I’m afraid the Conservative Party has been taken over by unelected advisers, entryists and usurpers who are trying to turn it from a broad church into an extreme right-wing faction. Sadly, it is not the party I joined.”

Last week, Mr Johnson rejected calls to sack his controversial adviser after former prime minister Sir John Major unleashed a scathing attack on Mr Cummings, branding him a “political anarchist”.

Sir John urged Mr Johnson to get rid of the “overmighty” Mr Cummings “and do it quickly”.

Asked if he would sack his key adviser, Mr Johnson said: “Look, advisers advise and ministers decide.”

Mr Johnson has presided over a turbulent week in politics.

The prime minister withdrew the whip from 21 Tory MPs who rebelled against his government in the Commons before failing to win enough votes in the House to force an early general election.

But he insisted he was not prepared to delay Britain’s departure from the European Union beyond the end of next month.