Hundreds of Westminster experts were added, and then quickly eliminated a WhatsApp group created by the Secretary of Justice of the Shadows Robert Jenrick to promote his London Marathon race.
The conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who revealed that she had also briefly packaged a chat member along with journalists, former members of the Cabinet and other Tory parliamentarians, the conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, who revealed that she also briefly revealed a chat member along with senior journalists, former members of the Cabinet and other Tory parliamentarians.
The BBC has been told that Jenrick is not referring to the Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO), which investigates data violations.
A source said that the ICO did not need to be involved
The ICO told BBC News that the Data Protection Law did not apply to the use of personal information for “national and domestic” purposes.
But he said that if the “non -corporate communication channels”, such as WhatsApp groups, were used for “professional purposes”, the Data Protection Law would apply.
A source said Jenrick had announced that she was heading in the London Marathon and “in a technical mixture, a message designed for transmission turned into a group chat.”
All contacts, which are believed to include former Cabinet Ministers Michael Gove and Therese Coffey, among others, have been eliminated from the group and the chat has been eliminated.
When asked if he had a leg added to the group chat, Badenoch laughed before answering: “Yes and then no, I think it’s the right answer to that.”
“I think a marathon is running,” Badenoch added. “I really don’t understand what happened to the WhatsApp group.”
The BBC understands that Jenrick’s intention was to send messages about her marathon that runs individually to friends and colleagues in Westminster, in an attempt to raise money for charity.
In a publication about X, the president of Reform UK, Zia Yusuf, said that Jenrick had seemed to add “his entire contact book” to the group chat.
“Now he is spending his morning eliminating hundreds of them,” Yusuf published.
In response to that publication, Jenrick wrote: “Do you have left out again, Zia?”
Jenrick said she was directing the London Marathon for Ssafa, the beneficial organization of the Armed Forces, and added that she was “gathering support for the cause.”
The conservatives said they had consulted their data protection officer Andy Steadman, who had said that this was not a party problem.
“This has nothing to do with the party, it is something personal for Robert that runs a marathon,” said a conservative spokesman.
The BBC has seen screenshots of some of the messages in the group chat.
In a message, a member published “RJ for PM”.
Badenoch was asked if Jenrick, who previously ran against her for the conservative leadership of the party, now represents a new threat to her.
She said: “I have a great team and fight a team that unites the conservative party.
“And what we are really focused on now is to ensure that people understand that voting for the conservative in local elections is the only credible option.”
