Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss' phone was hacked, the Daily Mail reported late Saturday night. It was allegedly hacked by agents working for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The government has been urged to launch an investigation into the matter.
The leak was discovered during the Conservative party campaign during the summer, but the news was kept under wraps. The agents got access to details of negotiations with international allies. And to messages exchanged with close friend Kwasi Kwarteng, who later became finance minister, the report said.
Messages up to a year's worth have been downloaded. Messages believed to have included discussions with senior international foreign ministers about the war in Ukraine, including details about arms shipments.
"There are immensely important national security issues raised by an attack like this by a hostile state which will have been taken extremely seriously by our intelligence and security agencies," Labour Party's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told the Guardian.
The Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson, Layla Moran, said, “We need an urgent independent investigation to uncover the truth. Was Liz Truss’s phone hacked by Russia, was there a news blackout and if so why?”
Truss stepped down as UK prime minister on October 20 after a tumultuous 44-day tenure. She was replaced by Indian-origin lawmaker Rishi Sunak, who took oath on October 26. It isn't sure how the hack happened. The personal exchanges between Truss and Kwarteng included criticisms of former PM Boris Johnson the duo had made.
