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A police protection officer traveling with Dominic Raab was suspended from his duties after he reportedly left his weapon on a plane.
The officer was traveling with Raab on a visit to the United States when he allegedly left his weapon on a plane at Heathrow airport on Friday.
A cleaner reportedly raised the alarm after she found the weapon unattended in its holster aboard the United Airlines plane from Washington DC before officers arrived on the scene and realized the weapon belonged to one of the Raab’s bodyguards.
A Met Police spokesman said: “We are aware of the incident on a flight to the UK on Friday 18 September and we are taking this matter very seriously.
“The officer involved has been removed from his operational duties pending an internal investigation into the circumstances.”
The Sun reported that police were called to the aircraft after the Glock 19 pistol was discovered in its holster on a seat.
A source told the newspaper that the officer had removed the firearm while sorting the passports and preparing to escort Raab off the flight.
The United Airlines plane had been on a night flight from Washington DC before disembarking at Terminal 2.
In February, former Prime Minister David Cameron’s bodyguard left his gun in a plane bathroom.
Passports belonging to Cameron and the officer were found next to the weapon, according to reports at the time.
The weapon, believed to be a 9mm Glock 17 pistol, was found by a passenger, who handed it over to flight attendants on a transatlantic flight.
Raab was in Washington this week to speak with high-level figures, including US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, about Brexit and Northern Ireland.
The foreign secretary said he had “very positive discussions” with Republicans and Democrats, after senior US politicians warned that they would not support any free trade pact with the UK if the UK failed to honor its commitments to Northern Ireland as part of the Brexit.
Democratic Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, who also met with Raab during her visit, said she “appreciated his assurances” but warned: “If the UK violates its international agreements and Brexit undermines the agreement On Good Friday, there will be absolutely no chance that a trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom will be approved by Congress. “
