<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>The government has been urged to open an investigation into claims former prime minister Liz Truss's phone was hacked while she was foreign secretary.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Mail on Sunday reported private messages between Ms Truss and foreign officials, including about the Ukraine war, fell into foreign hands.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The hack was discovered during the summer Tory leadership campaign but the news was suppressed, the paper said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The government said it had "robust" cyber-threat protection in place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The spokesperson added that the government "did not comment on individuals' security arrangements".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Details about the hack were suppressed by then-prime minister Boris Johnson and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, The Mail on Sunday claimed, citing what it said amounted to a "news blackout" imposed by Mr Case.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The newspaper also said private messages exchanged between Ms Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, her close friend whom she made chancellor when she became prime minister, were also uncovered by the alleged hack.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is not clear how any hack happened, but opposition parties have seized on the issue.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"There are immensely important national security issues raised by an attack like this by a hostile state which will have been taken extremely seriously by our intelligence and security agencies," said shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"There are also serious security questions around why and how this information has been leaked or released right now which must also be urgently investigated."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Mail on Sunday reported agents suspected of working for Russia had been responsible for the alleged hacking, citing unnamed sources, but the BBC has not been able to verify this.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Liberal Democrats foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP raised concerns about why the alleged hack had not been made public earlier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We need an urgent independent investigation to uncover the truth," Ms Moran said. "If it turns out this information was withheld from the public to protect Liz Truss's leadership bid, that would be unforgivable."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The government has refused to comment on any of the details reported by the Mail on Sunday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The government has robust systems in place to protect against cyber threats," a spokesman said. "That includes regular security briefings for ministers, and advice on protecting their personal data and mitigating cyber threats." BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>