LONDON (Portal) – Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss’s private phone was hacked by suspected agents who worked for Russian President Vladimir Putin when she was foreign secretary, the Chron reported on Saturday.
These agents were given access to “top-secret details” of negotiations with international allies, in addition to private messages exchanged with Truss’ close friend Kwasi Kwarteng, who later became finance minister, the report said.
The news is believed to have included talks with senior international foreign ministers about the war in Ukraine, including details on arms shipments, she added.
Up to a year’s worth of messages were downloaded, the email said, citing unnamed sources.
A UK government spokesman declined to comment on “safety precautions taken by individuals”.
“The government has robust systems in place to protect against cyber threats. This includes regular security briefings for ministers and advice on protecting their personal data and mitigating cyber threats,” the spokesman added.
The hack was discovered during the Conservative Party’s leadership campaign that led to Truss becoming prime minister, the Mail reported.
Truss left office as prime minister last week and was succeeded by Rishi Sunak.
The Mail said the messages, which fell into foreign hands, contained criticisms of Johnson voiced by Truss and Kwarteng “leading to a potential risk of extortion”.
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Nick Zieminski)