DEFENCE STAFF LOSE 4 PHONES EVERY DAY

MORE than 260 Ministry of Defence phones have gone missing in just two months, in what has been described as an "extraordinary" security breach.

- By James Knuckey

In total, 269 devices were recorded as misplaced, lost or stolen between January 1 and February 27 - more than in 2023 and 2024 combined, at 262. The figures, which amount to more than four a day, were revealed in response to a parliamentary question by Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge.

Armed forces minister Luke Pollard blamed "poor accounting" and a need to ensure "improved record keeping".

But Mr Cartlidge said: "It is extraordinary to see an almost tenfold increase in the rate of phone loss or theft at the MoD since the election with a staggering 145 phones unaccounted for in February alone compared to [19] in July.

"We need a clear explanation from ministers and a plan to get this figure back down." The MoD is now facing questions over whether any sensitive information has fallen into the wrong hands.