The Sun newspaper said the drunk caller had earlier tricked the
intelligence agency into handing over a mobile phone number for its
director Robert Hannigan, although the government said it was not
one used for calls involving classified information.
"The Prime Minister ended the call when it became clear it was a
hoax," a spokeswoman for Cameron's office, 10 Downing Street, said
in a statement about the calls on Sunday.
"In neither instance was sensitive information disclosed. Both GCHQ
and Number 10 take security seriously and both are currently
reviewing procedures following these hoax calls to ensure that the
government learns any lessons from this incident."
The Sun reported that the unnamed man, who it described as being
well-spoken and in his 20s, had called GCHQ in the early hours of
Sunday pretending to be a Downing Street aide and saying Hannigan
was required to attend an emergency meeting.
He was then given Hannigan's private mobile number. Hours later he
called Cameron on an official mobile claiming he was the GCHQ chief.
"I've just made complete monkeys out of GCHQ," the hoaxer told the
Sun in a phone call afterwards.
"What's more I am off my face on booze and cocaine. I had some
spliffs too. I've been up all night. I'm utterly wasted. Hilarious."
On its website, GCHQ states: "The nature of GCHQ's business means
that we will not usually connect external calls unless the caller
has a name or telephone extension to provide to the operator."
[to top of second column] |
Cameron's spokeswoman said all government departments had been put
on alert for further hoax calls.
The incident is not the first time that a hoax caller had been able
to get through to the phone of a British premier.
In 1998, an impressionist pretending to be the former Conservative
Party leader William Hague, was put through to then Prime Minister
Tony Blair.
Blair saw through the hoax immediately, laughing along as the hoaxer
offered to lend him an exercise video he had found in a sale.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Michael Holden; Editing by Eric
Walsh and Guy Faulconbridge)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|