by Our News Desk

TWO ex-ministers who are under investigation for lobbying allegations are among ­dozens of former MPs granted privileged access to Parliament since the general election, ­figures showed yesterday.

Former Labour home secretary Jack Straw and Tory Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who are both being probed by the Commons standards watchdog after being caught in a lobbying sting earlier this year, have the exclusive “category X” passes.

Possession of the pass allows them to roam the Palace of Westminster and use its subsidised facilities.

Mr Straw and Sir Malcolm, both former foreign secretaries, have been accused of offering “cash for access” after boasting to undercover reporters posing as representatives of a Chinese company that they could use their influence for at least £5,000 a day.

However the pair deny any wrongdoing.

Disgraced former Cabinet ministers Chris Huhne and Jonathan Aitken, alongside numerous Liberal Democrats who lost their seats on May 7, are also on the list released by the Commons authorities following a freedom of information request.

Former Tory minister Brooks Newmark, who quit after sending explicit photos of himself to an undercover reporter, has a pass.

And several ex-MPs who stood down at the 2010 election following the expenses scandal still hold passes.

These include Tory Derek Conway, who paid his son as a researcher even though he was studying for a full-time degree course, and Labour’s Ben Chapman, who overclaimed on his mortgage by £15,000.

There is no suggestion that any of the individuals on the list have been involved in lobbying, which is explicitly banned under the category X rules.

As of June 22, 381 former members held a pass, up from 356 on a previous list that dated from just a few days after the election.