Dozens of digital devices issued to MPs and parliamentary staff went missing in 2023, with losses reported from pubs, trains, homes, and even within the parliamentary estate itself.
Around 70 incidents involving items like laptops, iPads, and phones were logged over the year. In many cases, the devices were either stolen or lost while in public spaces or transit. Some of the missing equipment may have contained sensitive parliamentary information or provided access to it.
One particularly concerning case involved a laptop taken from a staff member's bag while they dined at a restaurant. The bag, supposedly under the watch of a friend, later turned up missing the laptop.
Security expert Professor Anthony Glees from the University of Buckingham expressed alarm, stating:
"MI5 will be hopping mad at this insult to national security… If our adversaries like Russia or China get hold of these devices, the risks are serious. These are lawmakers, not just ordinary people — they’re potentially holding government secrets."
Incident logs accessed through a Freedom of Information request detailed several losses:
- A staffer’s laptop disappeared from a restaurant despite being under the supervision of a friend. The House of Commons’ service desk advised contacting the police.
- A parliamentary laptop was left in a car sold by the user and couldn’t be retrieved.
- Adevice was stolen from a train after being placed on a luggage rack — the thief grabbed the bag and exited at the next stop.
- Another laptop simply vanished from a staffer’s home with no clear explanation.
- Multiple thefts occurred at pubs, with bags being snatched unnoticed. In one case, the bag was later recovered — but the laptop was gone.
Despite the serious implications, the House of Commons declined to release names of MPs or Lords whose devices were involved in the incidents.
The incidents highlight growing concerns about digital security, especially as cyber threats from hostile states continue to blur the line between civilian and military targets. Photo by Santeri Viinamäki, Wikimedia commons.