Conservative Minister Robert Jenrick’s charity marathon run took an unexpected turn when a WhatsApp group mishap added hundreds of Westminster insiders to his private chat.
A technical mix-up led to hundreds of Westminster insiders being added to a WhatsApp group set up by shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick to promote his London marathon run.
The incident was laughed off by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who revealed she too had briefly been a member of the chat.
Kemi Badenoch is a British politician and Member of Parliament for the Saffron Walden constituency.
Born on January 2, 1973, in London, England, she gained prominence as a Brexit Party MEP from 2019 to 2021.
Badenoch was appointed Minister for Children, Families, and Equality by Prime Minister Liz Truss in September 2022, serving until the government's collapse.
She is known for her conservative views on social issues.
In an attempt to raise money for charity, Jenrick had intended to send individual messages about his marathon run to friends and colleagues in Westminster. However, a message designed for broadcast turned into a group chat, resulting in hundreds of contacts being added to the WhatsApp group. The contacts included former cabinet ministers, senior journalists, and other Tory MPs.
Robert Jenrick is a British Conservative politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newark since 2010.
He was appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government in February 2020.
Prior to his ministerial role, Jenrick worked as a solicitor and later became a partner at a law firm.
He is known for his conservative views on housing and planning policies.
All of the contacts have been removed from the group, and the chat has been deleted.
Jenrick had denied referring himself to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which investigates data breaches. A source stated that the ICO did not need to be involved because the contacts had been added for ‘personal purposes’ and the risk of malicious use was low.
The Conservatives claimed this was a personal matter for Jenrick, saying he had consulted his data protection officer, Andy Steadman, who deemed it not a party issue. A spokesperson stated that the incident was unrelated to the Conservative Party and focused on supporting Jenrick‘s marathon run for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.
Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf criticized Jenrick for appearing to add his entire contact book to the group chat, saying he was now spending his morning deleting hundreds of them. In response, Jenrick jokingly asked if he was feeling left out.
Badenoch also shared her experience, revealing she had been briefly added to the group and later removed.
Despite the mishap, Jenrick remained committed to raising money for charity. He stated that his intention was to rally support for SSAFA, highlighting the importance of his marathon run. The incident served as a reminder of the potential risks associated with sharing personal contact information online.
A data breach occurs when sensitive information is accessed, stolen, or exposed without authorization.
This can include personal identifiable information (PII), financial data, or confidential business information.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, there were over 1,100 data breaches in 2020, affecting over 155 million individuals.
Data breaches often result from cyber attacks, insider threats, or human error.
They can have severe consequences, including identity theft, financial loss, and reputational damage.
