Classified Ministry of Defence documents left at bus stop in Kent
Classified Ministry of Defence documents containing details about HMS Defender and the military have been found in the rain at a bus stop in Kent.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched an investigation after almost 50 pages of classified documents containing national security details were found in a soggy heap behind a bus stop in Kent early on Tuesday morning, the BBC first reported.
Among the documents were papers that discussed the potential Russian reaction to HMS Defender’s passage through Ukrainian waters off the Crimea coast on Wednesday.
Another set of papers in the heap discussed plans for a possible UK military presence in Afghanistan after the end of the present Nato operation.
A spokesperson for the MoD said an employee reported the loss of the sensitive defence papers last week, adding: “It would be inappropriate to comment further.”
“The department takes the security of information extremely seriously and an investigation has been launched,” they said.
A member of the public, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted the BBC when they realised the sensitive nature of the 50 pages they’d found.
The documents relating to the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer, HMS Defender, showed that the MoD had expected Russia to respond aggressively to the mission the defence department described as an “innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters.”
Labour has demanded an inquiry into how the sensitive documents came to be found behind the bus stop. Shadow defence secretary John Healey said the loss was “as embarrassing as it is worrying for ministers.”
“Ultimately Ministers must be able to confirm to the public that national security has not been undermined, that no military or security operations have been affected and that the appropriate procedures are in place to ensure nothing like this happens again,” Healey said in a statement.