British opposition MPs on Saturday called for an investigation after suspected Kremlin agents allegedly hacked Liz Truss’ cell phone when she was foreign minister, according to a British newspaper’s claims.
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The newspaper Tea Mail on Sunday quoted unnamed security sources as saying ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss’ personal phone was hacked “by operatives suspected of working for the Kremlin.”
They are suspected of having had access to “top secret exchanges with international partners”.
A government spokesperson said: ‘We do not comment on individuals’ security arrangements’ and added that there are ‘robust systems in place to protect against cyber threats’.
“It is essential that all of these security issues are investigated and addressed at the highest level,” observed opposition Labor MP Yvette Cooper.
A source told the newspaper that the ‘compromised’ phone was placed in a locked safe in a secure government location after a year’s worth of messages were hacked, some of which were said to be ‘very sensitive discussions’ about the war in Ukraine .
The hack was discovered this summer when Mme Truss was foreign minister and was campaigning to become leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister, the newspaper said.
He claimed ‘details were suppressed’ by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Simon Case, his most senior political adviser.
“We urgently need an independent investigation to uncover the truth,” said Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran.
The report of the incident comes as Home Secretary Suella Braverman was reappointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak following his resignation due to a security breach. She allegedly sent a top-secret document to a Member of Parliament via her personal email.
The article did not specify on what basis Russia was suspected of being behind the alleged attack, but relied on a source who claimed: “It takes some time to find out who is behind it. those kinds of attacks, but Russia tends to be at the top of the list.”