The UK Government is losing almost seven taxpayer-funded phones and laptops every day, according to figures obtained by the SNP.
The data, released under freedom of information, show that more than 2,400 devices were lost or stolen by civil servants across Whitehall departments in 2025.
Defence records the highest total
The Ministry of Defence lost the most devices of any department, with 622 missing in total. That included 272 phones, 330 laptops and 20 other devices such as tablets.
The Home Office lost 482 devices, while the Department for Work and Pensions recorded 305 losses.
The figures also show the Department for Business and Trade lost 221 devices, the Cabinet Office 162, Defra 111 and Health 108.
Transport — covering the Department for Transport, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Vehicle Certification Agency — lost 148 devices. The Treasury lost 76.
Smaller departments recorded fewer losses. Housing and Local Government lost 45, DCMS 39, the Northern Ireland Office five, the Attorney General’s office three, and the Advocate General, Scotland Office and Wales Office one each.
Police reports made in only some cases
Only a handful of departments confirmed that losses had been reported to police. Business and Trade reported 28 incidents to officers, the Home Office 14, Transport nine, the Northern Ireland Office four, and the Attorney General’s office and Advocate General’s office one each.
No department confirmed a loss had been reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Under UK GDPR, organisations must notify the Commissioner within 72 hours of any data breach likely to put people’s personal information at risk.
SNP criticism and government response
SNP MSP Steven Bonnar said the figures showed “an epidemic” of lost devices within the UK Government.
He said: “We know that Morgan McSweeney ‘lost’ his phone, but there is an epidemic within the UK Labour Government.
“They are losing almost seven taxpayer-bought phones and laptops every single day — it is shocking that the Labour Party is being so careless with public money and sensitive information while not even bothering to contact the police.
“More than 600 devices lost in Defence is obviously alarming and the Scottish public deserve assurances from the Labour UK Government on safety and protocols in that respect.
“Over 2,400 phones and laptops were lost in a single year by the UK Labour Government — the sheer waste of Westminster is unbelievable.”
The UK Government said the losses represented a very small percentage of the Civil Service workforce, which employs nearly 500,000 people.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “We take the security of IT very seriously. All government devices, including laptops and mobile phones, are strictly encrypted and can be wiped remotely, ensuring that any loss does not compromise secure data.
“Across a workforce of hundreds of thousands of civil servants, every instance is investigated, and departments have robust protocols in place to manage these incidents and protect public money.”
Earlier Scottish Government investigation
The figures come weeks after The Herald’s own investigation found 78 Scottish Government devices — 57 phones and 21 laptops — were lost or stolen between January 2025 and June 2026, with just one recovered.
None of those losses were reported to the ICO either, with the Scottish Government maintaining internally that none met the threshold for a data breach notification.
The most notorious lost device in Whitehall last year was the theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone. Sir Keir Starmer‘s chief of staff told police it was snatched from his hand by a man on a bicycle in Pimlico, central London.
He had been walking down the street with the phone to his ear at the time.
The loss was politically significant as the phone reportedly held messages between Mr McSweeney and Peter Mandelson relating to the peer’s appointment as US ambassador.
The phone was stolen in October, one month after Lord Mandelson was sacked. It only came to light several months later when the government was publishing documents about the appointment process.
Mr McSweeney was a close ally of Lord Mandelson and advised the Prime Minister to select him for the diplomatic role.
He has since said this was a mistake in light of the peer’s longstanding relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
SNP MSP Steven Bonnar added: “The sheer waste of Westminster is unbelievable.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “The first duty of government is national security, and we take the security of our equipment, networks and data extremely seriously.
“Our assurance and testing processes are designed to identify and address potential vulnerabilities early, and we continue to undertake security activity across our systems and equipment.
“These include active programmes which review risks of potential adversarial exposure within our supply base and design appropriate mitigations.”