The Government has been accused of failing to address security concerns aftermore than 260 Ministry of Defence (MoD) phones were recorded as lost in just two months. The Conservatives have told the Express that the Government’s latest explanation over the worrying figures has not been good enough and are calling for ministers to step up.
More MoD phones were misplaced, lost or stolen in January and February (269) than in 2023 and 2024 combined. The figures, which amount to more than four a day, were as a result of two incidents which the Armed Forces Minister has now confirmed occurred in the Royal Navy. Luke Pollard said the spike came after the Senior Service “strengthened accounting processes and completed a comprehensive audit of mobile devices”.
As first reported by the Daily Express, the majority of the missing devices were obsolete and due for disposal, with Mr Pollard confirming 222 phones were in this bracket.
Mr Pollard’s comments were in response to a written question by Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge who is calling for more transparency over the incidents.
He said: “This is an unsatisfactory response that raises more questions than it answers.
“There is no explanation as to why the numbers of lost and stolen phones have worsened so dramatically since Labour were elected.
“Ministers need to show they are gripping this matter because it raises serious security concerns that remain unaddressed.”
Mr Pollard said the two incidents in the Navy account for 259 of the 356 devices reported as misplaced, lost or stolen between July 5, 2024, and February 27, 2025.
He said the obsolete phones were running unsupported operating systems so would not be able to join MoD networks and unable to be used for any other purpose.
He added: “The Ministry of Defence takes the security of our assets extremely seriously and we have robust measures in place to assure the integrity of these arrangements.”
The minister refused to answer where phones were last located before going missing since Labour entered Government last year, saying: “This information is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.”
Not all of the recorded incidents have resulted in actual losses or thefts, with some of the reporting including occasions where devices couldn’t be accounted for, so were noted, but later found.
The Express approached the MoD for a comment.