Tuesday, June 28, 2022
  • 🔒Privacy Policy
  • © Copyright
The Voiceof London
  • Latest news
  • Foreign affairs
  • UK
  • USA
  • Russia
  • Health
  • Fashion
  • Food
  • Contact us
  • Latest news
  • Foreign affairs
  • UK
  • USA
  • Russia
  • Health
  • Fashion
  • Food
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
The Voiceof London
No Result
View All Result
Home UK
UK Treasury admits to wiping data from over 100 department phones after officials made mistakes entering PIN codes — RT UK News

UK Treasury admits to wiping data from over 100 department phones after officials made mistakes entering PIN codes — RT UK News

The Voiceof London by The Voiceof London
July 12, 2021
in UK
0

Sensitive data from over 100 UK Treasury phones, including text messages related to the Greensill lobbying scandal involving former Prime Minister David Cameron, was deleted after officials apparently entered incorrect pins.

The department’s IT team had to reset some 117 of its roughly 2,100 government-issued mobile phones last year – including the work phone of its Permanent Secretary Tom Scholar, according to the Treasury’s response to a Freedom of Information request from the PA news agency.

The revelations are expected to add to criticism of the government’s transparency mechanisms, which have been attacked in recent weeks after it emerged that senior officials may have used personal email accounts to conduct government business.

Last week, the information commissioner launched an investigation into all private correspondence accounts used by ministers after concerns were raised about Junior Health Minister James Bethell’s use of personal emails for official work. Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock is also alleged to have done the same.

Scholar’s phone records gained prominence after it emerged that between March and June last year Cameron had messaged ministers, including Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, and government officials to lobby for the now-defunct financial company Greensill Capital.

The former PM, who was employed by the company, disclosed that he had sent nine WhatsApp messages to Sunak, and 12 texts to Scholar and other Cabinet and Treasury ministers, to allow Greensill access to the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) government scheme set up to help businesses offset pandemic losses.

Although its proposal was eventually rejected, questions were raised about what had been said between Cameron and officials.

Also on rt.com
Former PM Cameron says he had ‘big economic investment’ in collapsed Greensill firm subject to watchdog inquiry

In May, Scholar told a parliamentary committee that he was unable to divulge communications he had with Cameron – under whom he had served as chief of staff at Downing Street prior to taking the Treasury post – because his phone had been wiped during a reset in June 2020.

“It had to be reset because, under government security as applies to mobile phones, if the password is incorrectly entered more than a few times, the phone is locked, and the only way to unlock it is to reset it,” Scholar said at the hearing.

“Resetting it means that the data on it is lost. I knew that when it happened last June, and I am certainly not the only person to whom that has happened,” he added.

Scholar also referred to two exchanges with Cameron: one about a “possible leak of the Greensill approach to the Treasury,” and another where “Cameron told me that they had a specific proposal to put to us.”

In each case, he claimed to have “made sure that anything that needed to be recorded for the official record was recorded, and that was not lost when the phone was reset.”

After a committee member said there was a “public interest” in publishing his replies, Scholar noted that if Cameron had copies of his responses, disclosure of these would be “governed by the Freedom of Information Act,” since these messages were “official government business” as they were “generated by me on an official government device” in the course of his work.

Also on rt.com
UK to investigate ex-PM Cameron’s alleged lobbying of ministers to secure govt contract for firm he advised

Another parliamentary inquiry into the lobbying scandal had questioned whether Scholar’s previous ties with Cameron were why he and the Treasury had spent so much time discussing what one committee member referred to as a “Ponzi scheme.”

Appearing before a House of Commons public accounts committee in April, Scholar said it was “quite natural” to talk to a “former minister I’ve worked with.” Describing Cameron as “persistent,” Scholar said he had met the ex-PM two or three times since he had stepped down from office, but “never to discuss Government business.”

He also claimed not to have had a “substantive discussion” of Greensill’s proposal with Cameron over the phone and to not have known Cameron worked for the company before receiving a letter from them about the proposal in March 2020.

“In terms of the actual discussions with the company over their application to the CCFF … I just joined one phone call – I think it was less than half an hour – and that was the entirety of my involvement in it,” Scholar said, adding that he had “no further engagement” with Cameron after April 2020.

The public accounts committee is currently accepting evidence for the inquiry, which is scheduled to hold its next meeting on July 22. Scholar and other Treasury officials are again expected to attend.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!

Previous Post

UK Labour Party to vote against ‘Freedom of Speech’ bill, claiming it will embolden ‘hate speech’ — RT UK News

Next Post

Microsoft’s ‘anti-competitive’ software resale practices lead to £270 million lawsuit, UK vendor claims — RT UK News

Related Posts

UK govt department reveals it suffered ‘serious cyber incident’ — RT UK News
UK

UK govt department reveals it suffered ‘serious cyber incident’ — RT UK News

February 8, 2022
Drones flying over Mars could cause Saint Elmo’s fire, NASA says — RT UK News
UK

Drones flying over Mars could cause Saint Elmo’s fire, NASA says — RT UK News

February 3, 2022
‘My job is to help women give birth, but I was banned from using the word “mother”’ — RT UK News
UK

‘My job is to help women give birth, but I was banned from using the word “mother”’ — RT UK News

January 14, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Voiceof London

 

Browse UK newspapers news, research and analysis from The Voiceof London

📧 Please feel free to contact us by an email if you need more information

  • 🔒Privacy Policy
  • © Copyright
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest news
  • Foreign affairs
  • UK
  • USA
  • Russia
  • Health
  • Fashion
  • Food
  • Contact us

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT