David Cameron’s bodyguard ‘leaves gun in BA plane toilet’
A special protection officer for David Cameron has been suspended after reportedly leaving his gun in the toilet on a New York-London flight this week.
It was found alongside his own and the former prime minister’s passports near the sink in the WC cubicle of a British Airways aircraft just before take-off on Monday.
All three items were found by a fellow passenger and were handed over to flight crew, according to reports.
The gun, believed to be a 9mm Glock 17 pistol, was reported to have been left by the officer after he took off his holster while using the toilet.
A 33-year-old businessman who was on the flight told the Sun: "There was a real commotion going on with a guy near to me. He said he had found a gun in the toilets, which was met with disbelief … [The captain] tried to calm everyone down by explaining that the law allowed handguns on planes for protection officers and that the gun was back with the bodyguard.
"But a guy wasn’t having it. He said he felt uncomfortable about guns being allowed on the plane. The captain left and came back a few minutes later to say the gun had been removed from the plane."
Another said the passenger who found the gun and passports had taken photographs on his phone and was showing the images to others on the flight.
Scotland Yard said: "The officer involved has since been removed from operational duties. We are taking this matter extremely seriously and an internal investigation is taking place."
A British Airways spokeswoman said: "We follow CAA rules which allow UK police to carry firearms on board in specific, controlled circumstances. Our crew dealt with the issue quickly before departure and the flight continued as normal."
The Sun reports the passenger who found the items was upgraded to business class.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt