3:41 PM BST 3:41 PM
Commenting on the ICO’s decision to suspend its criminal investigation into the leak of Matt Hancock’s video surveillance recordings (see 14.44), the Ministry of Health and Welfare said:
We note the outcome of the ICO investigation and will continue to work with them to learn from this incident.
We take the security of our staff, systems and property very seriously.
Following this incident, we worked with security specialists from across the government to review the procedures and will keep them under constant review.
3:15 p.m. BST 3:15 p.m.
Ruth Davidson campaigns with Douglas Ross – as they disagree on whether prime minister should resign
Severin Karel
Ruth Davidson, the former leader of the Scottish Tories, has renewed her call for Boris Johnson to step down over the Partygate scandal, accusing him of “changing” his job as prime minister.
Now a Tory peer, she said the prime minister had “mocked” British victims during the pandemic, opening the door to Douglas Ross, her close ally and successor as leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
Ross was the first Tory MP to publicly call on Johnson to resign in January, but has since withdrawn his no-confidence motion against the 1922 committee, arguing that it would strengthen Vladimir Putin if the British prime minister is forced to step down. during the war in Ukraine.
Speaking as the two campaigned together in Edinburgh ahead of the May local elections, Ross hinted that his support for the prime minister was temporary and conditional, but declined to discuss what action he could take in the future.
A series of Scottish opinion polls this year equaled the Tories in third place after Labor for the first time in five years, threatening to end a series of strong Scottish election results.
Opposition parties believe the Partygate scandal has significantly damaged public support for the Conservative; both Labor and the Liberal Democrats say they are gaining votes across Scotland.
If true, it means that Davidson’s decision to publicly disagree with her close ally’s position on the prime minister has tactical value for the Tories, signaling to frustrated voters that conservatives remain unhappy and critical of Johnson’s behavior.
Reducing opinion polls, Ross said that if Johnson resigned, it would “create a void, create instability … Allies around the world will know that he is about to leave. And the most important person is all this – Vladimir Putin – will know that he is about to leave and that instability will undermine everything the West is trying to do to help President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine.
Davidson said that if Johnson is sincere in his desire to comply with the law on Ukraine, he must start with his own behavior. She said:
I do not think the Prime Minister’s apology last night [over being fined] it was something other than remorseful and meaningful, and I’m sure he’s very sorry about what happened, but I believe the prime minister should set an example.
I believe that the post of Prime Minister is deceived when you have someone who violates the laws that they themselves have introduced, and I fully understand that there is a really big geopolitics. Right now. There are big international problems. But I still believe that when it comes to supporting a country fighting for freedom and democracy, you have to follow your own rules. You have to.
Douglas Ross and Ruth Davidson are campaigning in Davidson Maines, Edinburgh. Photo: Jane Barlow / PA
Updated at 15.35 BST
2:44 PM BST 2:44 PM
The investigation ended with a leak of video surveillance footage of Matt Hancock after the ICO issued evidence against two very weak suspects
The Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO) said there was not enough evidence to prosecute two people suspected of leaking footage of former Health Minister Matt Hancock kissing his then-assistant at his health ministry office (DHSC).
The footage had leaked to the Sun and led to Hancock’s resignation on the grounds that his behavior violated government rules of social distancing. Hancock later left his wife to continue his relationship with Gina Coladangelo, who was his adviser.
ICO has launched a criminal investigation after receiving a report of personal data breach from DHSC’s CCTV operator, EMCOR Group plc. Last year, two homes in the south of England were searched as part of the investigation.
The ICO said in a statement:
The Office of the Commissioner for Information (ICO) has found insufficient evidence to prosecute two people suspected of illegally obtaining and disclosing videos from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (DHSC) …
Given the seriousness of the report and the wider implications it has for the security of information throughout the government, the ICO had a legal obligation to conduct an impartial assessment of the available evidence to determine whether there was a breach of the law.
Forensic analysis revealed that the leaked images were most likely obtained by someone recording video surveillance screens with a mobile phone.
Six telephones seized during the execution of the search warrants did not contain the relevant video surveillance records. After receiving legal advice, the ICO concluded that there was not enough evidence to charge anyone with crimes under the 2018 Data Protection Act.
The ICO therefore closed its criminal investigation.
Updated at 14:47 BST
1:59 PM BST 1:59 PM
Chris Mason will take over from Laura Queensberg as the BBC’s political editor
Chris Mason has been named the BBC’s new political editor, replacing Laura Queensberg in one of the most prominent and powerful roles in British journalism, my colleague Jim Waterson said.
1:52 PM BST 1:52 PM
Partygate’s future revelations could be even worse for the prime minister, says Tory MP, who now backs calls for resignation
Nigel Mills, who was the only Conservative MP today to publicly call on Boris Johnson to resign after being fined (see 9:10 a.m. and 10:37 p.m.), told World at One that he believes even worse revelations lie ahead.
Asked if Johnson really should resign over such a brief and relatively minor breach of the rules, Mills said police believed it was serious enough to deserve a fine and that Johnson had chosen not to appeal. He continued:
My fear for him, in fact, is that the other countries under investigation actually sound like much worse violations of the law than what he has just been fined for. It doesn’t impress me that this is the end of the situation. If he was fined for it, then you must think that more will come.
Mills also said that “very soon” he would write to the chairman of the Conservative Commission from 1922 with a request for a vote of no confidence in Johnson. Although Mills criticized Johnson today, he was not one of lawmakers who sent a letter earlier this year. He said he saw himself as supporting Johnson. He said:
I have not campaigned against the Prime Minister. I am a supporter of the Prime Minister. I think he did great things and I’m really sorry he got here.
Mill said he did not think there would be a no-confidence vote (54 letters must be submitted to hold one, and several lawmakers, who confirmed they had written letters earlier this year, withdrew them last month after the start of the election). the war in Ukraine). Even if there was a vote, Mills said he would be “very surprised” if Johnson lost.
But he said he could not support Johnson’s stay in principle.
I just can’t get over the idea that a prime minister can be fined and stay there. I just don’t think this is a possible support position.
And He…
Add Comment