From the BBC….
”A personal computer holding sensitive documents relating to defence and extremism has been stolen from Hazel Blears’ constituency office in Salford.
The machine contained a combination of constituency and government information which should not have been held on it.
The theft may mean the communities secretary has broken rules on the handling of restricted government information, the BBC has learned.”
A few points spring to mind:
Firstly, this is not an example of someone foolishly leaving data lying around. There was a break-in of Blears’ constituency office, despite its reinforced glass and security system - a legacy of her time as a Home Office minister.
Secondly, just how contentious is the material in question, which is thought to relate to emails between Blears and the DCLG? The Beeb says it is “relating to defence and extremism”.
But DCLG staff are scratching their heads over the “defence” connection, saying there are no such emails.
As for ”extremism”, this could relate to DCLG narratives on how to tackle violent extremism through improving community cohesion – the type of stuff that is on the department website.
The only classified document on the computer, bizarrely, is thought to be an assessment of the housing market from March (a PowerPoint presentation) which is now seriously out of date.
Gordon Brown told permanent secretaries of all departments this morning to find out whether similar embarrassments could happen elsewhere. But for now – until more definitive facts emerge – that may be all it is.
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey
