When Liz Truss was the foreign minister of the United Kingdom, her personal phone was hacked by alleged Putin campaign operatives, according to a revelation in the Daily Mail on Saturday.
According to the report, the operatives had access to “top-secret secrets” of talks with international allies as well as personal messages with Truss’s close friend Kwasi Kwarteng, who later held the position of finance minister.
The texts are thought to have contained conversations with senior foreign ministers from around the world concerning the conflict in Ukraine, including information about armament supplies, it was stated.
The Mail reported that up to a year’s worth of messages were downloaded.
On “individuals’ security arrangements,” a spokeswoman for the British government declined to comment.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
According to the Mail, the hack was uncovered during the Truss-winning Conservative Party leadership contest.
Rishi Sunak took over as prime minister after Truss resigned last week.
According to The Mail, messages that were intercepted by foreigners contained criticism of Johnson made by Truss and Kwarteng, “perhaps opening the door to blackmail.”
