After Claims Of Liz Truss Phone Hacking, Ministers Ordered By Spy Chiefs Asked To Stop Using Mobile Phones

After reports have come out on Sunday that former Prime Minister Liz Truss’ personal mobile phone was hacked during her tenure as Foreign Secretary, security chiefs in the country have warned ministers in the U.K. not to use their personal phone when talking about state business.

The hack on Truss’ phone was reportedly discovered during the summer, with officials claiming that sensitive information on foreign intelligence was accessed through the phone by suspected agents working for the Kremlin, according to BBC.

Among the things discovered during the case were private messages between her and Kwasi Kwarteng, as well as information related to the Russia-Ukraine war. The alleged security breach was reportedly pushed down by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson through a “news blackout” implemented by Cabinet Secretary Simon Case.

Many opposition officials and U.K. intelligence officers are incensed with the reports coming out regarding the security breach to Truss’ phone, as a source in Whitehall confirms that ministers are being given new and fresh training so that they would be “aware how this material should be handled,” Daily Mail reported.

“There are immensely important national security issues raised by an attack like this by a hostile state which will have been taken extremely seriously by our intelligence and security agencies,” shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said. “There are also serious security questions around why and how this information has been leaked or released right now which must also be urgently investigated.”

“We need an urgent independent investigation to uncover the truth,” Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrats foreign affairs spokesperson, said. “If it turns out this information was withheld from the public to protect Liz Truss's leadership bid, that would be unforgivable.”

U.K. ministers who shared “highly classified information via a mobile device” or through other means can be prosecuted through the Official Secrets Act. Despite this, ministers are not asked to relinquish their personal phones while in office, The Guardian reported.

Neither the government nor the concerned parties has yet to confirm, deny, or comment on the matter since the issue went public.