Kremlin ‘hacked’ into Truss’s personal mobile
LIZ TRUSS’S personal mobile phone was hacked by agents suspected of working for the Kremlin, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The cyber-spies are believed to have gained access to top-secret exchanges with key international partners as well as private conversations with her leading political ally, Kwasi Kwarteng.
One source said that the phone was so heavily compromised that it has now been placed in a locked safe inside a secure Government location.The hack was discovered during the summer’s Tory leadership campaign, when Ms Truss was UK Foreign Secretary, but the details were suppressed by Boris Johnson, who was Prime Minister at the time, and the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case.
It is understood that messages which fell into foreign hands included criticisms Ms Truss and her future Chancellor Mr Kwarteng made of Mr Johnson, leading to the potential risk of blackmail. Sources said that up to a year’s worth of messages were downloaded.
They are also believed to have included highly sensitive discussions with senior international foreign ministers about the war in Ukraine, including detailed discussions about arms shipments.
The astonishing incident, disclosed by security sources, solves the mystery of why Ms Truss was forced to change the mobile number she had used for over a decade shortly before entering Downing Street. The move caused anxiety among Cabinet Ministers and advisers who were suddenly unable to contact her. A source with knowledge of the incident said yesterday that the security breach ‘caused absolute pandemonium – Boris was told immediately, and it was agreed with the Cabinet Secretary there should be a total news blackout.
‘It is not a great look for the intelligence services if the Foreign Secretary’s phone can be so easily plundered for embarrassing personal messages by agents presumed to be working for Vladimir Putin’s Russia.’
Allies of Ms Truss said she was worried that if news of the hack leaked, it could derail her chance of becoming Prime Minister, adding that she ‘had trouble sleeping’ until Mr Case imposed a news blackout.
Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith said: ‘This is what we’re up against. Russia does this all the time. This is their sole purpose – their way to get back at us. We are all far too casual about our phones in general. Ministers should be much more careful and should not be using their personal phones for anything. I assume my private phone is being hacked.’
Security expert Professor Antony Glees said he was ‘gobsmacked’ by The Mail on Sunday’s revelations, adding: ‘What has happened here is absolutely appalling and is indicative of a Government that was extremely lax when it came to matters of national security. We have Ministers using their private phones to conduct Government business over WhatsApp and their personal email, and this has to stop immediately. It is absolutely terrifying.
‘What is doubly horrifying is Boris Johnson knew this had happened but chose not to communicate it. And I fear that Liz Truss may not be alone in having her phone compromised. The obvious suspects are Russia, China, North Korea and Iran who would have huge interest in knowing what the Foreign Secretary is communicating. The number one suspect, however, would be Russia.’
Another security source said: ‘It takes a while to track who is behind attacks like these, but Russia tends to top the list.’
Ms Truss took an uncompromising approach to Putin during her time as UK Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister.
Phone hack ‘caused utter pandemonium’