Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick inadvertently added and then removed hundreds of Westminster insiders from a WhatsApp group created to promote his participation in the London Marathon. This mishap was humorously acknowledged by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who also briefly found herself a member of the chat along with senior journalists, former cabinet members, and other Tory MPs.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is reportedly not being involved in the matter, as the contacts were added for “personal purposes” and the risk of any malicious use of data was deemed low. The ICO clarified that data protection laws do not apply to the use of personal information for “domestic and household” purposes, but would be relevant if non-corporate communication channels like WhatsApp groups were used for professional reasons.
Jenrick had initially intended to send messages about his marathon run individually to friends and colleagues in Westminster in order to raise funds for charity. However, a technical mix-up led to a message meant for broadcast turning into a group chat, resulting in the prompt removal of all contacts, including former cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Therese Coffey. Badenoch, when asked about the incident, jokingly confirmed her brief presence in the group chat and expressed confusion over the sequence of events.
Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf revealed that Jenrick seemed to have added “his entire contact book” to the group chat, prompting a cleanup process. In response to Yusuf’s comment, Jenrick lightheartedly mentioned feeling left out before emphasizing his commitment to running the London Marathon for the charity SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. The Conservative Party confirmed that the incident was a personal matter for Jenrick and not affiliated with the party, with a focus on supporting his charitable efforts rather than political implications within the party
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