First Minister publishes message leak evidence – raising questions over who had access to Hannah Blythyn’s phone

After a rocky morning where four cabinet ministers have resigned, the First Minister has published a detailed explanation on he ‘evidence’ around the sacking of Hannah Blythyn MS.

The new image formally released by Welsh Government, above, shows the full leaked message from 2020.

The First Minister notes how Apple’s iMessage works, showing all but the phone owners name when messaging is taking place, adding, “….it becomes clear that the only missing initials on this image are that of the former Minister for Social Partnership”.

Hannah Blythyn MS has been adamant that the leak did not involve her, “I did not, nor have I ever leaked anything. Integrity is all in politics and I retain mine”.

The obvious unanswered question is who has had access to the screen of the phone to take copies of messages and then store them up for several years.

There has been no suggestion or comment from Welsh Government or other MSs of hacking concerns or illegality.

The source of the messages leaking is still unknown.

The full statement from the First Minister is below:

I am today publishing the evidence underpinning the decision to ask the former Minister for Social Partnership to leave the Welsh Government.

In the interests of clarity and the accuracy of the debate regarding this matter in the Senedd, I believe it is now right to set out the evidence that led to the decision I took. Specifically, I consider that it is important for the integrity of the Welsh Government that there is now clarity on the evidence that supported the decision.

Upholding collective responsibility is integral to the ability of cabinet to function effectively. Welsh Ministers must be able to consider and discuss challenging issues and sensitive information on matters that impact directly on communities, businesses, public services and citizens. It is important that they – and civil servants – are able to do so in a trusted, confidential environment.

The first piece of evidence, as I described in detail to the Senedd on 10 July, is a photograph of a fragment of an iMessage chat from August 2020 involving eleven Welsh Labour Ministers. It was sent to the Welsh Government in May this year in exactly the form I am publishing today by a journalist seeking a comment on its contents.

We have previously published this in redacted form, however it is now available to Members without any redaction.

The second is a corresponding image from the same chat, which was subsequently located on the phone of another of the participants after the photograph was provided to us. The full exchange from this chat has now been submitted to the COVID Inquiry.

This image demonstrates that the former Minister for Social Partnership was a member of the chat on that day.

When an iMessage chat is viewed on an individual’s device, the initials of all other participants are visible, apart from the participant themselves.

By cross referencing the subsequently located chat membership with the photograph of the chat fragment that was provided to us by the journalist, it becomes clear that the only missing initials on this image are that of the former Minister for Social Partnership. It is also clear that the image was captured in 2020 and was retained before the leak become evident earlier this year.

These two pieces of evidence, taken together, are the reason I have been clear with the Senedd that it can only be an image of the former Minister’s phone. I took the difficult decision to ask the former Minister to leave the Government based on this information and the lack of a credible explanation.

Ministers are responsible for the security of their data, and regardless of how the photograph came into the journalist’s possession, the image should not have been allowed to have been taken, leading as it did to the breakdown of trust for Ministers’ expectation of privacy for their discussions. It was particularly difficult for other colleagues who were unable to be clear that they were not responsible for the leak in question.

The Senedd is due to debate a Section 37 motion later this week. Whilst I do not consider the material published today can be required by that motion, in the interests of transparency and given the ongoing interest, I have taken the decision to provide them to Members today.

I will reiterate what I said in the Senedd on 10 July, and to the Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister on Friday. Throughout this difficult process I have sought to protect the well-being of the former Minister, and to offer her any ongoing support she wishes to take up.