International Law

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell loses Cabinet ministerial "red box" correspondence on a train

It is said that a fish starts to rot from the head first, so it comes as no surprise that the ambitious, the Government Minister with direct responsibility for the Government Gateway passwords etc. USB memory device scandal (see the immediately previous Spy Blog article)
is James Purnell, the former Labour apparatchik and now Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

The Sunday Mirror reports that:

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell leaves red box secrets on train

By Kelly Jenkins and Vincent Moss, Political Editor 2/11/2008

CABINET Minister James Purnell has sparked a security row after losing confidential documents on a packed train.

The rising Labour star - tipped as a future PM - broke strict guidelines by taking documents out of his "red box" on the trip.

Ministers are warned against taking their Cabinet briefcases on public transport amid fears secret papers could be lost or stolen.

The embarrassing gaffe comes days after civil servant Richard Jackson was fined for leaving top secret documents relating to al-Qaeda and Iraq on a train.

Shocked passengers told how Work and Pensions Secretary Mr Purnell left his red box wide open while he wandered around the train making calls on his mobile.

To make matters worse, the 38-year-old then raced off the train, leaving a file of documents behind.

When can we be rid of such dangerously incompetent and arrogant people from positions of trust and power?

Full post as published by Spy Blog on November 02, 2008 (boomark / email).