5 ms·

I'd love to know how he was caught. Not enough security on his phone - or old school interviews and sources?

by insomniacity 7y ago

NeedMoreTea 7y ago
With his almost glorious ability to insert foot in mouth, I would put money on self-incrimination.
- TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
  It's also possible he didn't do it. He hasn't exactly impressed anyone - except himself - during his brief but very exciting tenure, and it's possible May was looking for an excuse to get rid of him while also pointing the finger at a convenient scapegoat. We'll see if this proceeds to a criminal investigation. My guess is it won't.
  - Veen 7y ago
    We'll see if this proceeds to a criminal investigation. My guess is it won't. It's amazing it got this far. Leak inquiries almost never discover a culprit (by design) and it's unheard of for a minister to actually get sacked for leaking.
    - TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
      It's more amazing that Williamson was ever Defence Minister in the first place. Latest: "Theresa May considers the matter closed." So there we are. No police investigation into a rather serious matter of national security. Meanwhile Williamson himself is absolutely insistent he's innocent and that the internal investigation was ineffective - which means that if he is innocent, someone else was responsible. And if he's telling the truth, that person remains unnamed, and in a ministerial position.
      - mathieuh 7y ago
        The UK has a Crown Prosecution Service which is a public service responsible for bringing charges against people. It’s not up to HMG.
        switch007 7y ago
        According to wikipedia Attorney General is responsible for the CPS, who answers to the Ministry of Justice...which is a Government department.
        M2Ys4U 7y ago
        An AG interfering with or blocking the CPS from bringing a prosecution would be a _big_ deal.
        switch007 7y ago
        That's one way to look at it, sure. But technically it is up to the Government though?
        StaticRedux 7y ago
        Justice Department answers to Trump. Doesn't mean he can tell them to just go arrest someone. No matter how many times he tries.
        switch007 7y ago
        The US is not the UK
      - kodz4 7y ago
        Quite sure thats a Yes Minister episode.
        inflatableDodo 7y ago
        All of Thatcher-In-The-Rye's tenure has been an extended 'Yes Minister' episode. Though I think the writers would never have gone quite as far as Boris 'Fuck Business' Johnson. Who may very well become our next PM.
    - KaiserPro 7y ago
      true, but normally its a leak of policy, or something politically embarrassing. (brexit will be a great success/terrible failure because of x, delete to taste) But this is different, this is a leak of an actual state secrets. This is much more secret because its expressly illegal. (the official secrets act makes many things vaguely illegal, but leaking things marked "secret" or similar is an actual offence.) Not only is it illegal, its also leaking other country's intelligence, which is a massive nono
- tonyedgecombe 7y ago
  I think the first indication was when he refused to cooperate with the investigation. Or perhaps he had a Huawei phone.
mtgx 7y ago
They probably couldn't even tell him how they caught him, because then they'd have to admit that GCHQ is spying on most government members, too.
- jsty 7y ago
  Given the technical aptitude of most politicians in the UK, he may equally likely have used a government-issued device
  - westiseast 7y ago
    This sprang to mind: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15396956 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15396956 Letwin had a habit of reading correspondence whilst in a public park in the mornings and then dumping it in public bins once dealt with. Mirror reporters just followed him around and fished sensitive material out of the bins.
- sethhochberg 7y ago
  This is part of the reason why governments make info-sharing pacts between their spy agencies, right? You might have a policy of constitution preventing you from spying on your own citizens, but your allies certainly don't play by those same rules.
KaiserPro 7y ago
I doubt it was that. From what I have heard he was the only one trying to blame it on civil servants. Plus as its a criminal matter they would have been able to get warrants to get call records. As the journalist that broke the story is known, its not hard to figure out from there.
DanBC 7y ago
He's a fucking idiot. Here's the letter May sent, which makes it sound like regular interviewing and discussions: https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/1123635838523465729 https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/1123635838523465729 (But, obviously, the security services aren't going to say "we know it was him"). This, from Buzzfeed, about him is telling: https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/britains-new-defence-secretary-has-stepped-out-of-the https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/britains-new-defence-se...
adwww 7y ago
Honestly leaks are such a common part of the current UK government he is probably just suprised that THIS TIME people are taking it seriously.

I'd love to know how he was caught. Not enough security on his phone - or old school interviews and sources?

NeedMoreTea 7y ago

With his almost glorious ability to insert foot in mouth, I would put money on self-incrimination.

TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
It's also possible he didn't do it. He hasn't exactly impressed anyone - except himself - during his brief but very exciting tenure, and it's possible May was looking for an excuse to get rid of him while also pointing the finger at a convenient scapegoat. We'll see if this proceeds to a criminal investigation. My guess is it won't.
- Veen 7y ago
  We'll see if this proceeds to a criminal investigation. My guess is it won't. It's amazing it got this far. Leak inquiries almost never discover a culprit (by design) and it's unheard of for a minister to actually get sacked for leaking.
  - TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
    It's more amazing that Williamson was ever Defence Minister in the first place. Latest: "Theresa May considers the matter closed." So there we are. No police investigation into a rather serious matter of national security. Meanwhile Williamson himself is absolutely insistent he's innocent and that the internal investigation was ineffective - which means that if he is innocent, someone else was responsible. And if he's telling the truth, that person remains unnamed, and in a ministerial position.
    - mathieuh 7y ago
      The UK has a Crown Prosecution Service which is a public service responsible for bringing charges against people. It’s not up to HMG.
      - switch007 7y ago
        According to wikipedia Attorney General is responsible for the CPS, who answers to the Ministry of Justice...which is a Government department.
        M2Ys4U 7y ago
        An AG interfering with or blocking the CPS from bringing a prosecution would be a _big_ deal.
        switch007 7y ago
        That's one way to look at it, sure. But technically it is up to the Government though?
        StaticRedux 7y ago
        Justice Department answers to Trump. Doesn't mean he can tell them to just go arrest someone. No matter how many times he tries.
        switch007 7y ago
        The US is not the UK
    - kodz4 7y ago
      Quite sure thats a Yes Minister episode.
      - inflatableDodo 7y ago
        All of Thatcher-In-The-Rye's tenure has been an extended 'Yes Minister' episode. Though I think the writers would never have gone quite as far as Boris 'Fuck Business' Johnson. Who may very well become our next PM.
  - KaiserPro 7y ago
    true, but normally its a leak of policy, or something politically embarrassing. (brexit will be a great success/terrible failure because of x, delete to taste) But this is different, this is a leak of an actual state secrets. This is much more secret because its expressly illegal. (the official secrets act makes many things vaguely illegal, but leaking things marked "secret" or similar is an actual offence.) Not only is it illegal, its also leaking other country's intelligence, which is a massive nono
tonyedgecombe 7y ago
I think the first indication was when he refused to cooperate with the investigation. Or perhaps he had a Huawei phone.

mtgx 7y ago

They probably couldn't even tell him how they caught him, because then they'd have to admit that GCHQ is spying on most government members, too.

jsty 7y ago
Given the technical aptitude of most politicians in the UK, he may equally likely have used a government-issued device
- westiseast 7y ago
  This sprang to mind: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15396956 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15396956 Letwin had a habit of reading correspondence whilst in a public park in the mornings and then dumping it in public bins once dealt with. Mirror reporters just followed him around and fished sensitive material out of the bins.
sethhochberg 7y ago
This is part of the reason why governments make info-sharing pacts between their spy agencies, right? You might have a policy of constitution preventing you from spying on your own citizens, but your allies certainly don't play by those same rules.

KaiserPro 7y ago

I doubt it was that. From what I have heard he was the only one trying to blame it on civil servants. Plus as its a criminal matter they would have been able to get warrants to get call records. As the journalist that broke the story is known, its not hard to figure out from there.

DanBC 7y ago

He's a fucking idiot. Here's the letter May sent, which makes it sound like regular interviewing and discussions: https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/1123635838523465729 https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/1123635838523465729 (But, obviously, the security services aren't going to say "we know it was him"). This, from Buzzfeed, about him is telling: https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/britains-new-defence-secretary-has-stepped-out-of-the https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/britains-new-defence-se...

adwww 7y ago

Honestly leaks are such a common part of the current UK government he is probably just suprised that THIS TIME people are taking it seriously.