No threat to UK lives from US safety breach, says minister

The lives of British servicemen and girls haven’t been put in danger by a serious safety breach in the US, the UK armed forces minister has advised MPs.

Luke Pollard stated he had “excessive confidence” that British operational safety stays “intact”.

It comes after after a US journalist was inadvertently added to a secret group chat the place senior US officers mentioned plans for a strike towards the Houthi group in Yemen.

The UK didn’t take part within the latest US strikes towards Houthi targets nevertheless it did present routine air-to-air refuelling assist for the US.

Requested whether or not UK personnel had been put in danger by way of messaging app Sign to debate US plans for a strike on Yemen, Pollard advised the Commons Defence Committee: “No. All UK service personnel are lined by our regular method to operational safety, and the committee will perceive that I will not go into the main points of how we maintain our involvement in any assist for army operations within the Pink Sea or wherever else [secure].

“However we have got excessive confidence that the measures that now we have received with our allies, together with the US, stay intact.”

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner advised BBC Radio 4’s The World at One programme that the “UK and US’s relationship is as robust because it has ever been”.

Requested if the UK ought to rethink sharing intelligence with the US in gentle of the leak, she stated: “We have been sharing intelligence and knowledge for a lot of many years and proceed to try this by means of our safe networks.”

She was additionally quizzed about feedback within the leaked chat from US Vice-President JD Vance, who reportedly stated he hates “bailing Europe out once more”.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly replies: “I absolutely share your loathing of European free-loading. It is PATHETIC”.

Rayner advised the BBC: “I can not second guess what the vice-president was which means in non-public messaging.”

However she added: “The prime minister is consistently engaged with the president on variety of points embrace the unlawful invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

“We proceed to collaborate and proceed to work with the US productively.”

Liberal Democrat chief Sir Ed Davey stated the US leak confirmed that “Trump’s White Home cannot be trusted to take even essentially the most primary steps to maintain its personal intelligence secure”.

He added: “Their fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants method to safety means it might solely be a matter of time till our personal intelligence shared with them can be leaked. This might put British lives in danger.

“As a matter of urgency, the federal government should comprehensively overview our intelligence-sharing preparations with the US.”

The US air strikes towards the Houthi militant group in Yemen on 15 March got here after continued assaults on transport within the Pink Sea.

However shortly beforehand particulars of the assault have been despatched to a Sign group chat that included Vance, Hegseth and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, amongst others.

Sign chats are encrypted, however aren’t accredited by the US authorities for dialogue of labeled materials.

The usage of the app to offer particulars of the airstrikes got here to gentle as a result of one participant had unintentionally added the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic journal, Jeffrey Goldberg, to the group.

Mr Goldberg stated he had seen labeled army plans for US strikes on Houthi rebels, together with weapons packages, targets and timing, two hours earlier than the bombs struck.

Pollard prompt individuals would face disciplinary proceedings within the UK for the same breach of operational safety – however he harassed he wouldn’t touch upon the US state of affairs.

“The Ministry of Defence has very clear insurance policies in relation to what data may be shared and the format by which it may be shared. We do not touch upon how allies share their data,” he advised the defence committee.

He added: “I am assured that now we have strong measures to safeguard our data and our knowledge, however we even have a really clear set of methods the place people do not comply with procedures, with enough penalties to mirror the actions which were taken.”

Pollard stated there could be “a transparent consequence and disciplinary course of for anybody that was not following these procedures”.

On Monday evening, US president Donald Trump denied any data of the breach, whereas a White Home spokeswoman stated the president retained “utmost confidence” in his nationwide safety group.