LONDON, 30 Oct. (DPA/EP) –
The British Labor opposition has asked the Government to investigate the veracity of a report published this Sunday by the ‘Daily Mail’ weekly on possible Russian telephone espionage of former Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss before taking office, from which she was allegedly aware of the then president Boris Johnson.
According to the weekly, the then acting prime minister silenced the media about the incident with the complicity of his chief of staff, Simon Case, when they were informed of it last summer, while Truss, then foreign minister, was preparing her campaign to lead the Conservative party after Johnson’s resignation.
Again according to the newspaper, alleged Russian spies who acted on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin had access to sensitive information, such as certain conversations with Ukrainian officials about the development of the war, as well as private criticisms of Johnson made by Truss and his choice for the Finance portfolio, Kwasi Kwarteng, which left the door open to possible blackmail.
The opposition Labor Minister of the Interior, Yvette Cooper, has stated that this media report, which cites its own sources without giving further details, “highlights immensely important issues about the country’s national security after this attack by a hostile state.”
Cooper also demands explanations on “why and how it has been leaked now” before calling on the government of current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “recognize the seriousness of the situation”.
The Foreign Affairs spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrat party, Layla Moran, has also called for an investigation into not only the infiltration, but also the news silence allegedly ordered by Johnson and his chief of staff, “because as it turns out, this information was withheld to protect Truss campaign, we are in an inexcusable situation.
A spokesman for the British Government has refused to comment on “the security devices of the officers” of the country and has limited himself to ensuring that the Executive “has robust protection systems to defend against computer threats.”
