Russia hackers ‘stole trade dossier from Fox’s email’
... then duly leaked the files waved by Corbyn in election campaign
RUSSIAN hackers stole secret trade deal papers between the UK and the US from the email account of former Cabinet minister Liam Fox, it was dramatically claimed last night.
His account was broken into multiple times between July 12 and October 21, last year in the run up to the general election, according to two sources.
The leaked classified documents were posted online by an anonymous internet user and were subsequently publicised by the then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during the election campaign.
He claimed they showed evidence the NHS would be ‘on the table’ in talks on a post-Brexit trade deal with Donald Trump.
The allegations about Russian hackers were made by two sources with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke to Reuters news agency on the condition of anonymity. Last night the Government refused to confirm the claims but said a criminal investigation was underway into how the documents were acquired.
Mr Fox’s email account was hacked using a so-called ‘spear phishing’ message, which tricks the target into handing over their password and login details, the sources said. They declined to name which Russian group or organisation they believed was responsible, but said the attack ‘bore the hallmarks of a statebacked operation’.
Among the stolen information were six tranches of documents detailing British trade negotiations with the US. They were leaked online by a Russian disinformation campaign.
Last night, business minister Nadhim Zahawi said of the email hack: ‘Until Russia begins to change its behaviour and stops its destabilising and irresponsible activity, then we can’t look at going back to any form of responsible international partnership..’
He insisted that he, along with other ministers, were very careful with the way their emails and data are handled, adding: ‘The Government in all departments takes these things very, very seriously.’
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said last month that ‘Russian actors’ had sought to interfere in
‘Foggy and contradictory’
the election ‘through online amplification of illicitly acquired and leaked Government documents’.
It was not clear which of Mr Fox’s email accounts was hacked and when it was first compromised. It was also not clear if Mr Fox, who is still an MP but stood down as trade secretary on July 24 last year in a Cabinet reshuffle, was a minister at the time.
Whitehall sources say it was a personal rather than official email account that was hacked, according to The Guardian. Labour MP Chris Bryant said: ‘What shocks me is using insecure personal email accounts for sensitive, classified Government business. This ... should be a criminal offence.’
After first being posted online by an anonymous internet user in the run-up to last year’s vote, the stolen documents were seized on by Mr Corbyn during the election campaign. Labour said they showed a Government plot to sell the NHS to the US, an accusation Boris Johnson repeatedly denied.
The hack of Mr Fox’s account and subsequent leak is one of the most direct examples of suspected Russian attempts to meddle in British politics.
In the past, Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations of election meddling in Britain, France and the US. It described the accusations by Mr Raab as ‘foggy and contradictory’. It did not respond to a request for comment. Mr Fox also did not respond to a request for a comment.
A Government spokesman said: ‘The Government has very robust systems in place to protect the IT systems of officials and staff.’