Civil servant who left top secret documents at a BUS STOP is asked by Labour government to join review of Britain’s defences

An ex-civil servant, who left top secret documents containing the locations of British special forces in Kabul at a bus stop, has been asked to join a review of UK defences.

Angus Lapsley, 54, left the highly classified Ministry of Defence (MoD) papers – which  at Kent bus stop in June last year. 

The 50-page dossier marked ‘Secret UK eyes only’, which also included details of elite US soldiers in Afghanistan, was picked up by a member of the public before being handed to the BBC. 

A Whitehall source previously claimed the hapless incident sparked a transatlantic spat and left American ‘furious’ as fears were raised that the breach could endanger US servicemen and women, many of whom were in the same location as their British counterparts.

Now, Lapsley has been appointed to help with the ‘root and branch’ review of Britain’s defence, which will analyse troop numbers and technological capabilities in the current international climate.

Labour has been slammed by Greg Smith – the Conservative MP for Buckingham – who said: ‘We’ll now know just how weak they [Labour] are by reading about it on a train seat’ (Pictured: Starmer and Lord Robertson)

It comes amid fears whether if the new Labour government could afford to pay for military projects including Tempest.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had pledged to increase defence spending from 2.2 per cent to 2.5 by 2030 amid talk with NATO allies earlier this year, 

Sunak made the pledge to boost defence spending by an extra £75 billion when he visited Warsaw in April.

He warned that the world is the ‘most volatile’ for years and industry must go on a ‘war footing’.

Current Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also promised to reach this 2.5 per cent target but has not outlined a clear timeline of when it will be implemented. 

It was previously revealed that the top secret MoD papers included details of a Royal Navy warship’s passage through Crimea’s disputed territorial waters. 

Such sensitive intelligence is not allowed to be taken from government buildings unless properly logged out and securely stored. 

However, according to a source who spoke with The Times, Lapsley picked up the pages from the in-tray on his desk and took them home with him. 

The 50-page dossier marked ‘Secret UK eyes only’, which also included details of elite US soldiers in Afghanistan , was picked up by a member of the public before being handed to the BBC  

A Whitehall source previously claimed the hapless incident sparked a transatlantic spat as fears were raised that the breach could endanger US servicemen and women (Pictured: soldiers leaving Afghanistan in 2014)

It was the following morning when they fell out of his bag as he was rushing to work, before they were found wet and piled up at the bus stop, before being dried out and handed over. 

Despite the security breach, Lapsley didn’t lose his Service job and was not prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act.

Following the incident, he was transferred to the Foreign Office, according to The Telegraph. 

In 2022, he then left the Civil Service and went to work with NATO and is currently their Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning.

Prior to leaving the highly-classified dossier at a bus stop he was tipped to be the UK’s NATO ambassador.

A the time of his appointment to NATO in 2022, Colonel Richard Kemp, who served for the British Forces in Afghanistan told the Telegraph: ‘It is very concerning that Lapsley has been appointed to such a senior position within Nato and could now have access to highly classified information again.

‘It’s wrong that Lapsely faced so few sanctions for his actions, especially when more junior officials have faced prosecution for much lesser breaches.’ 

Lapsley’s appointment in the Government’s Strategic Defence Review, has been dubbed a ‘poor show’ by an ex-senior minister. 

Laplsey’s appointment amid fears whether if the new Labour government could afford to pay for military projects including Tempest (Pictured: Sir Keir Starmer)

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had pledged to increase defence spending from 2.2 per cent to 2.5 by 2030 amid talk with NATO allies

Greg Smith, who is the Conservative MP for Buckingham said: ‘Labour have never been strong on defence, but I guess we’ll now know just how weak they are by reading about it on a train seat. Could not make it up.’

Leader of the current review, Lord Robertson said: ‘As the threats facing Britain continue to evolve, we must be clear-eyed about the defensive capabilities we need for the future. 

‘The work of our review is already underway and will deliver a clear vision for UK defence.

‘I am delighted this expert team have agreed to make time to consider the profound challenges facing our country and how they can be countered. 

‘They provide an incredibly valuable range of experience across the defence and security sectors, both in the UK and internationally. Their role in this review process will be invaluable.’

It was announced on Sunday that Mr Lapsley as well as , ex-defence minister Sir Jeremy Quinn had been appointed to help with the review. 

‘The work of our review is already underway and will deliver a clear vision for UK defence,’ said Lord Robertson who is leading the review

Jean-Christophe Gray, who was formerly a spokesperson for David Cameron, Robin Marshall of Bain Capital and Edward Dinsmore, who has been appointed to previous defence reviews, are also part of the team.

A Downing Street source has told The Telegraph tat they had full faith in the ‘highly experienced and extremely qualified team’ that has been formed.

An MoD spokesperson said: ‘Angus Lapsley brings a huge amount of experience from his time at the FCDO and as the NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning.

‘As Lord Robertson has said, the Review team provide an incredibly valuable range of experience across the defence and security sectors, both in the UK and internationally.’