London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Russian hackers stole papers from Liam Fox email

Russian hackers stole papers from Liam Fox email

Documents on UK-US trade talks, leaked ahead of the 2019 general election, were stolen from an email account belonging to Conservative MP Liam Fox, it has emerged.

The papers were published online and used by Labour in the 2019 campaign to claim the NHS would be put at risk.

The UK government has said Russians almost certainly sought to interfere in the election through the documents.

A criminal inquiry into the leaking of the documents is under way.

A spokesman for the National Crime Agency confirmed it was leading the investigation, but added he could not comment further.

Mr Fox was international trade secretary from July 2016 to July 2019.

It is not clear when his account was accessed and the information stolen.

Reuters, which first reported the story, said hackers accessed Mr Fox's account multiple times between 12 July and 21 October last year.

A government spokesperson said: "There is an ongoing criminal investigation into how the documents were acquired, and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this point.

"But as you would expect, the government has very robust systems in place to protect the IT systems of officials and staff."
'Russian actors'

Last month, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the government had "reasonable confidence" that Russian actors had tried to interfere in the December 2019 general election.

He told the BBC they had sought to "spread online, illegally obtained, leaked government documents" around the UK-US trade negotiations for after the country leaves the EU.

Mr Raab said the government would "reserve the right to take the appropriate action" when the criminal investigation concluded.

The UK government was later criticised in a report from the Intelligence and Security Committee - known as the "Russia report" - for having "badly underestimated" the threat the country posed.



The mystery of the "trade leaks" is slowly being revealed - though still not completely.

The 2019 general election now looks like it was the target of what is known a "hack and leak" operation, similar - though not on the same scale - as the one Russian military intelligence launched in the 2016 US presidential election.

Last month, the government said it believed Russian actors were responsible for spreading the trade document on social media. But there was still the question of how it was first obtained.

Now, we know it came from a hack of an email account belonging to Liam Fox.

The exact identity of the Russian group behind the attack remains murky.

Whether it was the same group which then spread the document is unclear and that group (codenamed Secondary Infektion) is not thought to be the same as the one behind events in the US election, which had a larger impact.

Hackers from many countries have targeted politicians in recent years. But coming soon after the Russia report, this will serve as a reminder that groups based in Russia are often the most adept at not just stealing, but also using, the information.

Responding to reports of the hack on Mr Fox's email, a spokesperson for the National Cyber Security Centre said it works closely with MPs and political parties to offer them "the best cyber security guidance and support."

"We have worked closely with political parties for several years on how to protect and defend against cyber attacks - including publishing advice on our website.

"There is an ongoing criminal investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×