UK

The “antiquated” IT system used by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has come under fire after a major cyber attack saw potentially millions of pieces of personal data stolen, including criminal records.A “significant amount of personal data” of people who applied to the agency since 2010 was accessed and downloaded in a cyber attack in April this year, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.Those eligible to apply for legal aid include domestic violence and modern slavery victims, people involved in cases in the family court, as well as those accused of criminal offences.The group that carried out the attack has claimed it accessed 2.1 million pieces of data but the MoJ has not verified that figure.Richard Atkinson, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, a professional body that represents solicitors, said: “It is extremely concerning that members of the public have had their personal data compromised in this cyber security incident and the LAA must get a grip on the situation immediately.“The incident once again demonstrates the need for sustained investment to bring the LAA’s antiquated IT system up to date and ensure the public have continued trust in the justice system.“The fragility of the IT system has prevented vital reforms, including updates to the means test that could help millions more access legal aid, and interim payments for firms whose cash flow is being decimated by the backlogs in the courts, through no fault of their own.“If it is now also proving vulnerable to cyber attack, further delay is untenable.“Legal aid firms are small businesses providing an important public service and are operating on the margins of financial viability. Given that vulnerability, these financial security concerns are the last thing they need.”The National Crime Agency is investigating the breach. It is understood that so far there is not believed to be any link to the cyber attacks on Marks and Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods, but investigators are keeping an open mind.The Government became aware of a cyber attack on the LAA’s online digital services on April 23, but realised on Friday that it was more extensive than originally thought.The data accessed may include contact details and addresses of legal aid applicants, their dates of birth, national insurance numbers, criminal history, employment status and financial data such as contribution amounts, debts and payments.Officials will try to contact anyone identified in the data believed to be at significant risk of harm.The LAA’s online digital services, which are used by legal aid providers to log their work and get paid by the Government, have been taken offline.An MoJ source put the breach down to the “neglect and mismanagement” of the previous government, saying vulnerabilities in the LAA’s systems have been known for many years.“This data breach was made possible by the long years of neglect and mismanagement of the justice system under the last government.“They knew about the vulnerabilities of the LAA digital systems, but did not act,” the source said.It is understood the attack happened as the MoJ has been working on replacing the internal system with a new version hoped to be up and running in the coming weeks.The MoJ is urging anyone who has applied for legal aid since 2010 to be alert for unknown messages and phone calls and to update any passwords that could have been exposed.The ministry has been working with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre, and has informed the Information Commissioner.Legal Aid Agency chief executive Jane Harbottle apologised for the breach.“I understand this news will be shocking and upsetting for people and I am extremely sorry this has happened.“Since the discovery of the attack, my team has been working around the clock with the National Cyber Security Centre to bolster the security of our systems so we can safely continue the vital work of the agency.“However, it has become clear that, to safeguard the service and its users, we needed to take radical action. That is why we’ve taken the decision to take the online service down,” she said.Ms Harbottle said contingency plans are in place to make sure those in need of legal support and advice can continue to access it.Reacting to the attack, global cyber security adviser Jake Moore, from software company ESET, said it highlights how critical it is for public bodies to invest in stronger cyber defences and be transparent immediately when things go wrong.“When criminal records and other sensitive personal data are exposed, it is not just a matter of IT failure, it’s a breach of trust, privacy, and even safety in this case,” he said.“Many of the individuals affected may already be in vulnerable situations and could now face the added stress of not knowing where their data will end up or how it might be used.“Delays in notifying victims or vague reassurances can often worsen the damage whether it’s a Government agency or private company.” More

A landmark deal has been agreed between Britain and the European Union after a last minute breakthrough in Sir Keir Starmer’s reset talks.Sir Keir — who has made the Brexit reset a centrepiece of his administration — said Monday’s summit marks a “new era” of relations with the bloc, adding that it is about “moving on from stale old debates” and “looking forward, not backwards”.Some issues have proven thornier than others, with the topic of fishing rights understood to have been a key stumbling bloc for negotiators that was only solved in the early hours of the morning. Meanwhile, talks surrounding a youth mobility scheme appear to have ended in a deadlock. As the the prime minister faces judgement on how successful his mission to reset relations with the EU has really been,The Independent takes a look exactly what has been agreed. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen More

Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Brexit reset is going down to the wire just hours before the prime minister is to host Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa in London. British and European negotiators were working overnight to hash out a deal before the prime minister appears at a press conference alongside Ms Von der Leyen, the European Commission president, and Mr Costa, president of the European Council, on Monday. Downing Street sources said there are “outstanding issues on both sides”. “Negotiations are going down to the wire and a deal is not yet done… conversations will continue overnight,” an official said. EU ambassadors were reportedly meeting in Brussels on Sunday to agree to any further compromises on either side. Keir Starmer will unveil the results of his post-Brexit reset on Monday More

Sir Keir Starmer faces one of the biggest days of his premiership on Monday, when he is expected to unveil his plans for Britain’s post-Brexit reset deal towards closer ties with the EU. Although officials were still locked in negotiations on Sunday night, the prime minister is hopeful of a deal to rebuild ties with the bloc after years of tension and mistrust under the Conservatives. Sir Keir has made the reset a centrepiece of his administration, but has been keen to stress that its scope will be limited while the Brexit vote will be respected. So when European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa appear at the first EU and UK bilateral summit since Brexit on Monday afternoon, he will be keen to show progress has been made. Sir Keir Starmer is resetting Britain’s relationship with the EU More

The UK looks increasingly likely to agree to a post-Brexit youth mobility scheme with the European Union at a major UK-EU summit on Monday. Such an agreement would be a major step towards resetting Boris Johnson’s damaging Brexit deal, and has been pushed by European officials for months.The move, which is being demanded by European countries and commissioners in Brussels, would help to create much closer ties with the bloc and begin to repair the shattered relationship left by the previous Tory government.Here, The Independent looks at how such a scheme would work in practice, who would be eligible to take part and whether or not there is support for it in Britain.What would be the key features of a youth mobility scheme? An agreement of this nature would allow young people in the UK and the EU to move and work freely between countries for a limited period of time. It is likely to include 18- to 30-year-olds, potentially extending to those under 35 as well. It is thought that they would be able to live and work abroad for up to two years. However, there is some suggestion that figures in the government are pushing for this period to be reduced to just one year instead. Do similar schemes exist already? Britain already has similar agreements with 13 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Iceland, Uruguay, Hong Kong and Taiwan.The scheme is currently available for those aged 18 to 30 or 18 to 35, depending on where they are from, and allows them to live and work in the UK for up to two years. In order to qualify for the scheme, individuals must have £2,530 in savings to show they are able to support themselves while living in Britain. Would the British public back the scheme? There is widespread support for such an agreement, with a YouGov survey of almost 15,000 people indicating that two-thirds (66 per cent) backed the scheme, compared to just one in five (18 per cent) who are opposed.In Nigel Farage’s Clacton-on-Sea constituency, which voted overwhelmingly in favour of leaving the EU in 2016, more than twice as many people were in favour (57 per cent) than against (25 per cent) the idea of a mobility scheme.Would it drive up net migration?Supporters of the agreement insist it wouldn’t drive up net migration, arguing that young people in the UK would be keen to move abroad, in the same way that young people in the EU would be keen to come here. Meanwhile, the time-limited nature of the scheme means they wouldn’t be able to permanently settle abroad. There is also speculation that there would be a cap on numbers – or a “one-in-one-out” policy – to ensure that those coming to the UK remain balanced with the number of people leaving. However, without that cap, critics argue Britain would end up taking more young people than it loses. Meanwhile, others argue that a youth mobility scheme would be a return to freedom of movement enjoyed by travellers when the UK was part of the EU by the back door.Sir Keir’s “red lines” for the negotiations with Brussels include no return to freedom of movement between countries. But it is understood that the government considers a limited youth mobility scheme would not break that promise because of the time limit. More

Keir Starmer meets with Ursula Von der Leyen in Albania in 11th hour Brexit reset talksTalks on a UK-EU deal are in their ‘final hours’ ahead of a major summit with the bloc, the minister in charge of negotiations has said.Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce a deal with the EU when he meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in London on Monday.The prime minister has insisted that closer ties with the EU will be “good for our borders, cut bills and boost jobs”, ahead of a summit where he could announce a deal.But on Sunday, cabinet office minister NickThomas-Symonds said the final details of the deal were still being worked out, with negotiations ‘going down to the wire’.Sir Keir is also facing pressure to be more ambitious with the deal. Urging the government to be bolder, the Commons foreign affairs committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry said: “We should be clear about what it is that we want and act with a little less caution and a lot more confidence. If we do this, there is every reason to believe the EU will respond positively.”Surrender a ‘big word’ for Nigel Farage, Emily Thornberry claimsEmily Thornberry has lashed out at Nigel Farage, claiming that surrender is a “big word” for the Reform UK leader.The chairman of the foreign affairs committee hit back at Mr Farage’s opposition to Labour’s planned youth mobility scheme with the EU, which he has said amounts to an upicking of Brexit.Speaking to LBC, Ms Thornberry said: “The public… want, if their neighbours run a small business, to be able to export sausages to France and for it not to be held up.“They want to be able to travel to Europe and not have their passport stamped and be able to go through e-gates and be able to travel more easily, and they want more money in the economy.”Asked specifically about Farage’s “surrender” claim, Ms Thornberry said: “Big word for him, isn’t it?”She added: “There’s 13 of these youth mobility schemes already with the UK and the sky hasn’t fallen in, and I think youngsters in Britain would like to be able to travel in Europe and so it has to be reciprocal.”Dame Emily Thornberry said the UK should act with ‘a little less caution and a lot more confidence’ in its dealings with the EU (Jordan Pettitt/PA) More

British tourists arriving in Europe could be able to use EU passport gates once again under Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Brexit reset deal. Sir Keir’s EU minister said the government was pushing for measures to speed up the process in interviews on Sunday morning, after reports the UK was on the verge of striking a deal. Nick Thomas-Symonds made the comments ahead of a summit between the UK and the EU on Monday. Mr Thomas-Symonds, who has been leading negotiations with Brussels on the deal, said it would give people “more time to spend on holiday or work trips… doing what you want, not being stuck in queues”.British tourists arriving in Europe will be able to use EU passport gates More

Romanians are casting ballots Sunday in a tense presidential runoff between a hard-right nationalist and a pro-Western centrist in a high-stakes election rerun that could determine the geopolitical direction of the European Union and NATO member country.Sunday’s race pits front-runner George Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, against incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan. It comes months after the cancelation of the previous election plunged Romania into its worst political crisis in decades.Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) local time and will close at 9 p.m. (1800 GMT). Romanians abroad have been able to vote since Friday at polling stations set up in other countries, and more than 730,000 have already cast ballots.Romania’s political landscape was upended last year when a top court voided the previous election after far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped first-round polls, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow denied.Years of endemic corruption and growing anger toward Romania’s political establishment have fueled a surge in support for anti-establishment and hard-right figures, reflecting a broader pattern across Europe. Both Simion and Dan have made their political careers railing against Romania’s old political class.Most recent local surveys indicate the runoff will be tight, after earlier ones showed Simion holding a lead over Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician who rose to prominence as a civic activist fighting against illegal real estate projects.Turnout is typically higher in the final round of Romanian presidential elections, and is expected to play a decisive role in the outcome on Sunday. In the first round on May 4, final turnout stood at 9.5 million, or 53% of eligible voters, according to official electoral data.Dan founded the reformist Save Romania Union party in 2016 but later left, and is running independently on a pro-EU ticket reaffirming Western ties, support for Ukraine and fiscal reform.The presidential role carries a five-year term and significant decision-making powers in national security and foreign policy. The winner of Sunday’s race will be charged with nominating a new prime minister after Marcel Ciolacu stepped down following the failure of his coalition’s candidate to advance to the runoff.After coming fourth in last year’s canceled race, Simion backed Georgescu who was banned in March from standing in the redo. Simion then surged to front-runner in the May 4 first round after becoming the standard-bearer for the hard right.Simion, also a former activist who campaigned for reunification with neighboring Moldova, says he would focus on reforms: slashing red tape, reducing bureaucracy and taxes. But he insists that his main goal is to restore democracy. “My platform is to return to democracy, to the will of the people,” he said.The AUR party he leads says it stands for “family, nation, faith, and freedom” and rose to prominence in a 2020 parliamentary election. It has since grown to become the second-largest party in the Romanian legislature.To his critics, Simion is a pro-Russian extremist who threatens Romania’s longstanding alliances in the EU and NATO. But in an Associated Press interview, he rejected the accusations, saying Russia is his country’s biggest threat and that he wants Romania to be treated as “equal partners” in Brussels.“I don’t think he is a pro-Russian candidate, I also don’t think that he’s an anti-Russian candidate,” said Claudiu Tufis, an associate professor of political science at the University of Bucharest. “I think what is driving him is … his focus on what I call identity politics.”In the first-round vote, Simion won a massive 61% of Romania’s large diaspora vote, with his calls to patriotism resonating with Romanians who moved abroad in search of better opportunities.Hours after voting opened Friday, Simion accused the Moldovan government of election fraud, claims that were quickly rejected by Moldovan and Romanian authorities. “These statements are intended to sow distrust and hostility, with the aim of influencing the election process,” Romania’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. More