British politicians demanded answers on Sunday after a U.K. tabloid claimed Russian spies hacked ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss’ phone while she was the nation’s foreign minister.
If true, the shocking revelation could have exposed the U.K’s secrets in the middle of the continent’s deadliest conflict in decades.
The Mail on Sunday’s report claimed the hack was discovered over the summer as Truss campaigned to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister, with Johnson ordering the hack be kept secret. Some of the information gathered includes conversations surrounding the war in Ukraine and discussions between Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, the country’s eventual Chancellor.
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The claim has led U.K. politicians to pile on, wondering whether both whether there was adequate security, and whether Johnson wanted to boost his foreign secretary’s bid to succeed him.
“Was Liz Truss’s phone hacked by Russia, was there a news blackout and if so why?” asked Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran, according to the Associated Press. “If it turns out this information was withheld from the public to protect Liz Truss’ leadership bid, that would be unforgivable.”
A Labour Party spokesperson also questioned the country’s security defenses. “It’s why cybersecurity has to be taken so seriously by everyone across government, the role of hostile states,” Yvette Cooper told Sky News. “But also the allegations about whether a Cabinet minister has been using a personal phone for serious government business, and serious questions about why this information or this story has been leaked or briefed right now.”
The British government defended the country’s security protocols despite The Mail on Sunday’s report, saying it had “robust systems in place to protect against cyber threats” and held regular security briefings for ministers, according to Reuters.
