Huge row as Tories demand watchdog probes Reform over data grab
Nigel Farage's Reform must be probed over a "cyber-security disaster waiting to happen", the Tories have demanded.
The Conservatives have called on the information watchdog to launch an investigation into their right-wing rivals, who have asked for a mountain of data from councils it controls. This includes information on whistleblowers and the names and addresses of people who receive meals on wheels.
The Tories also accuse Mr Farage's underlings of risking the amount of cash foster carers receive becoming public. In a letter to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), shadow communities secretary Kevin Hollinrake lashed out at "unauthorised data transfers".
He warned taxpayers could be landed with massive bills if Reform is fined for breaking the law. It comes after Mr Farage's party said it would use a "unit of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors" to trawl council finances to find waste.
Mr Hollinrake wrote: "I believe that the scale of such unauthorised data transfers across local government is a cyber-security disaster waiting to happen.
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"There is a strong public interest in the Information Commissioner taking pro-active steps to investigate and, if necessary, issue enforcement notices against the public authorities and Reform UK Ltd.
"I also suspect that council staff would welcome the support of the Information Commissioner, given the clear threats to sack them if they sound the alarm on breaches of the law. It is also not in the financial interests of local taxpayers for their council to be exposed to the liability of fines for breaching the law."
The Tories went on to claim there is a "lack of legal basis" for Reform's data requests. Reform has launched its own Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) modelled on the chaotic department Elon Musk headed in the US.
In a letter to Kent County Council signed by Mr Farage, Reform's head of Doge Zia Yusuf and its new council leader Linden Kemkaran, the party said its team of analysts was "bound by data protection obligations and professional standards".
It also warned: "Should you resist this request, we are ready to pass a council motion to compel the same and will consider any obstruction to be gross misconduct. We trust this will not be required."
Reform won control of 10 councils in the May elections, which also include County Durham, Derbyshire, Doncaster, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, and West Northamptonshire.
The party also won the inaugural regional mayoral contests in Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire, and has minority control of several councils.
Reform's head of Doge Mr Yusuf claimed the Conservatives "were desperate to cover up the corruption and waste of their now deposed local government regimes". He added: "It will not work.
"Just as they plundered hundreds of millions from the British taxpayers during Covid, they have done the same at councils. Reform councillors were voted in to expose it, and with the help of Reform's Doge team, they will do just that."
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