MP urges staff checks after theft of laptops from her locked office

Harriett Baldwin said someone had been able to “brazenly” enter her locked office last week and remove £2,000 worth of taxpayer-funded computer equipment.

It is the latest in a spate of thefts from Westminster offices despite the presence of armed police at one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the country.

The West Worcestershire Conservative MP said constituents’ privacy had not been compromised by the loss of the computers as sensitive information was all stored on remote servers.

But she wants the Serjeant at Arms to order “a proper inquiry into the security checks carried out on administrative staff” as the first step in a crackdown.

She is concerned about the number of outside staff who have keys that allow them to enter offices – which are protected by a sophisticated lock system – “throughout the day and night”.

A spokesman said she would also be raising her concerns with Labour MP Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, who fell victim to computer thieves himself last year.

Mrs Baldwin said: “I was amazed that someone can brazenly walk into my locked office with a key and remove two laptops, when armed policeman are patrolling the entrance.

“This isn’t the first time that a break-in has occurred in this building and the police and Commons staff urgently need to look into this and find the culprit.”