Before she was prime minister for an inglorious 44 days, Liz Truss was the British Foreign Secretary under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The equivalent in America would be Secretary of State, as in the nation’s top diplomat, involved in extremely sensitive diplomacy and working with tons of confidential information. During her time as foreign secretary, Truss got hacked, likely by Russia. The phone hack was covered up by the Johnson government because it came during the Tory leadership clownshow over the summer.
Liz Truss’s personal phone was hacked by agents suspected of working for Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. They gained access to top-secret details of negotiations with key international allies – as well as private messages she exchanged with her close friend Kwasi Kwarteng.
The hack was discovered during the summer Tory leadership campaign, when Ms Truss was Foreign Secretary, but the details were suppressed by the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case.
One source said the phone was so heavily compromised that it has now been placed in a locked safe inside a secure government location.
It is understood that the messages that fell into foreign hands included criticisms of Mr Johnson made by Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng, leading to a potential risk of blackmail. 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.
In a statement released to the MoS on Saturday afternoon, a UK Government spokesperson said: ‘We do not comment on individuals’ security arrangements.’
But a source with knowledge of the incident said: ‘This caused absolute pandemonium. 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 Putin’s Russia.’
I don’t doubt that Russia has hacked into the communications of other European and American leaders and diplomats, but one could argue that this situation was pretty unique, as Truss was truly making the argument at the time that she should be the next prime minister. Apparently, Truss was so stressed about it that Boris Johnson ordered a lockdown on information about the hacking at the time, so it wasn’t reported back in July and August, even though the press had some idea about it. Now that Truss’s 44-day reign of terror is over, there are calls for a wider investigation into the hacking AND the cover-up. I wonder if this was part of the reason why Boris Johnson dropped out of the most recent leadership race too – not so much this specific story, but the larger issue of Johnson’s involvement in tons of sh-t which wasn’t even reported in the British media at the time.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
- Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak arrive for the announcement of the winner of the Conservative Party Leadership Contest – QEII Convention Centre, London, England, UK on Monday 5 September, 2022.,Image: 719700248, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
- King Charles III receives Prime Minister Liz Truss in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace in London.,Image: 723825323, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty O’Connor / Avalon
- British Prime Minister Liz Truss departs for PMQs – Downing Street, London, England, UK on Wednesday 12 October, 2022.,Image: 729986199, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
- King Charles III meets Prime Minister Liz Truss during their weekly audience at Buckingham Palace in London. Picture date: Wednesday October 12, 2022.,Image: 730196656, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
- 14/10/2022. London, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Liz Truss Press Conference. Prime Minister Liz Truss holds a press conference at No9 Downing Street announcing Jeremy Hunt as her new Chancellor of the Exchequer.,Image: 730772080, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: This image is for Editorial use purposes only. The Image can not be used for advertising or commercial use. The Image can not be altered in any form., Model Release: no, Credit line: Andrew Parsons / Avalon
- London, UK, 25th Oct 2022. Liz Truss, British Prime Minister, during her final statement in Downing Street before going to Buckingham Palace to see King Charles III. Later today, Rishi Sunak will then become the new British Prime Minister.,Image: 733089722, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter / Avalon
Simon Case!
Good point @Neysee! Everyone expected him to be ousted by LT
What a mess!
Dang. The tsunami of political corruption all over the world is horrific, and I feel so much anxiety that democracy can’t stand against it. Simon Case’s fingerprints are all over some of the slimiest shit — why doesn’t someone just blame it all on him and throw him to the wolves? Rhetorical.
I also saw a lot of criticism on Twitter for Sue (somebody?). The woman who was Minister of security something who resigned under Truss and literally the next week got her job back with the new PM. She’d sent emails with sensitive info to a friend/acquaintance who could’ve given them to anyone. Sorry I’m fuzzy on details, pre coffee and the US election is its own shit show to keep track of.
She’s known as Suella Braverman, and yes she resigned after being confronted by the evidence she’d breached security rules OR she admitted it to them and resigned because she’d broken the rules – depending if you believe information coming out or what she said to press at the time… (as Home Secretary she said it was her dream to see a flight happen deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda)
Suella Braverman. IIRC, she sent the sensitive information first to her (insecure) private e-mail account, and then forwarded it from her private e-mail account.
Suella Braverman, who is an utterly evil person through and through. She wants to close the borders, send refugees to Rwanda, and cancel human rights. She is disgusting, and anyone who thinks Rishi Sunak is a relatively “good” Tory needs to realize that anyone who would put Braverman anywhere near power is every bit as foul as she is.