Suspected Putin agents hacked Truss phone when she was foreign minister: Report

Agents allegedly working for Russian president Vladimir Putin hacked the phone of former British prime minister Liz Truss’ when she was serving as the foreign minister, a report by the Daily Mail said on Saturday.

According to the report, these agents are believed to have gained access to “top-secret exchanges with international partners”. Messages from Truss’ phone included discussions with senior international foreign ministers about the ongoing war in Ukraine, including details about arms shipments, the report said.

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Messages criticising Johnson

The agents also gained access to Truss’ conversations with her ally Kwasi Kwarteng criticising then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the newspaper report added citing unnamed sources.

Up to a year’s worth of messages were downloaded, the report also said.

The hacking was discovered during the Tory leadership campaign that led to Truss becoming the Prime Minister. She stepped down from the top post after just 45 days and was replaced by Rishi Sunak.

Govt refrains from comment

The British government has declined to comment on the news so far.

Meanwhile, a government spokesperson said, “The government has robust systems in place to protect against cyber threats. That includes regular security briefings for Ministers, and advice on protecting their personal data and mitigating cyber threats,” news agency Reuters reported.

Opposition politicians in the UK have called for an investigation into the matter.

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Labour Party leader Yvette Cooper said the Daily Mail report raised “immensely important national security issues” including why and how the information was leaked. “It is essential that all of these security issues are being investigated and addressed at the very highest level,” Cooper was quoted as saying by AFP

Layla Moran of the Liberal Democrats said that an urgent independent investigation is needed to uncover the truth.

(With Agency inputs)