The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office after the names of the alleged victims of the Westminster honeytrap scandal were revealed to each other.
The force has said it apologises “sincerely for any distress” after an email was “sent in error”.
According to reports, the Met sent an email to all those thought to be victims of the scandal, where the addresses were visible to every recipient.
The recipients’ names were mistakenly visible to each other, and officers will be reminded of their care that should be taken when sending group emails, Sky News understands.
The email is understood to have been a short, routine update to the investigation.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “An email relating to an ongoing investigation was sent in error today.
“We recognise the impact on those involved and apologise sincerely for any distress.
“A referral to the Information Commissioner’s Office has been made and we await advice on next steps.
“Officers will be reaching out to those impacted to personally apologise and provide reassurance.”
The honeytrap scandal was a sexting scam that saw former Tory MP William Wragg give out fellow politicians’ phone numbers to the suspected perpetrator.
The ICO had earlier told Sky News it had not received a report, but has been asked for an update given the Met’s announcement.
In their previous statement, the watchdog said: “Organisations must notify the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of a personal data breach, unless it does not pose a risk to people’s rights and freedoms.
“If an organisation decides that a breach doesn’t need to be reported they should keep their own record of it and be able to explain why it wasn’t reported if necessary.”
Parliamentary authorities have also been updated to the incident.
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