Fears British spied on our Brexit talks

Ministers told to hand over phones in case they were used to eavesdrop

A CABINET Minister has told the Irish Mail on Sunday that he was told to hand over his phone during a crucial Brexit meeting due to fears the British Government might be eavesdropping on talks.

The claim comes amid revelations that EU officials had raised security concerns after the UK obtained sensitive documents ‘within hours’ of them being discussed.

Three ministerial sources told the MoS that officials had also expressed concerns about devices and potential electronic eavesdropping during a meeting on Russia in recent months.

The Brexit incident occurred at a special Cabinet meeting on Monday, December 4, to discuss what was expected to be a breakthrough deal on Brexit and its implications for Ireland.

This week, British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt played down a report in Britain’s Daily Telegraph that Brussels Brexit negotiators feared they were being bugged by British spies.

Sabine Weyand, the EU’s deputy chief Brexit negotiator, reportedly told officials at a European Council working party on exit talks, that ‘it could not be excluded’ that British intelligence had penetrated their meetings. Mr Hunt, when asked about the report, said: ‘I’m foreign secretary and foreign secretaries never comment on such matters but you are a journalist and you don’t have any trouble finding out what is going on in those meeting, just like you have no problems in finding out what’s happening in our London meetings.’

A European Commission spokesman told journalists in Brussels: ‘The commission’s position today is that we cannot comment on this press report.’

It comes as tense Brexit talks resumed in Brussels between UK and EU officials.

Senior Garda and Government sources have now told the MoS there are concerns about the British government or its agents using electronic devices here as microphones.

Several ministers were told of device security concerns at another Cabinet meeting – about the recent diplomatic row with Russia.

‘Once during a discussion about Brexit and once on Russia, we were told to leave all iPads and mobiles outside,’ a minister said.

Last December, it appeared that the EU had struck a deal with the British government on Brexit that would avoid a hard border.

However the DUP, which supports Prime Minister Theresa May’s Tory government, scuppered the deal.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar subsequently held a Cabinet meeting on December 4 to discuss the developments.

A minister said that after the meeting had begun the secretary general at the Department of the Taoiseach, Martin Fraser, spoke to the Taoiseach and then started collecting phones and other devices from ministers.

‘It was a fear of them turning devices on as mics. With the Russian thing, it wasn’t that bad but with the Brexit talks there was a great sensitivity about it,’ said the minister.

When asked if he was told about concerns that the British might be listening in, he said: ‘They said something like, “Ah, you never know who is listening.”

‘I was given the clear impression that we had to be careful.’

Several ministers said that when Enda Kenny was returned to power as Taoiseach, he instituted a new policy on mobile phone and iPad use at Cabinet.

‘In 2016 when the new government came to office, Enda Kenny got a wooden pigeon hole box made outside the Cabinet room with every minister’s name on a pigeon hole, a cube just big enough for your mobile phone,’ said a minister

‘Then they used to make everybody leave their mobile phone outside for every Cabinet meeting.

‘The fact that every pigeon hole had a name on it, it was obvious if you hadn’t left your phone outside. But when Leo came into office that rule was relaxed, so people could take their phones into Cabinet.’

Ministers say this policy was reinstituted on just two occasions since Mr Varadkar became Taoiseach in the summer of 2017 – during the meetings on Russia and Brexit.’

Some ministers were told by officials that there were concerns they would leak details to journalists by text message or would even post sensitive Cabinet information on social media before it was officially announced.

‘But when Leo became Taoiseach the rules were more relaxed, people started bringing the iPads and the phones in.

‘And then we were sitting there in the middle of a Cabinet meeting on Brexit with our iPads and phones and Martin Fraser told the Taoiseach to round them up and put them outside.

‘You could argue that it was a bit of a joke about the Brits tapping the phones and that actually that it was to stop ministers tweeting or texting the news before the Taoiseach had the chance to talk to Juncker or Tusk on the phone.

‘So you could take a more benign interpretation of it.’

Mobile phones have been barred from British Cabinet meetings because of similar hacking concerns.

‘Started collecting the iPads and phones’ ‘Ah, you never know who is listening’