New Year Honours list: Home addresses of recipients 'published in error'
28 December 2019, 15:28
More than 1,000 home addresses of celebrities, politicians and police officers recognised in the New Year Honours list were accidentally posted online.
Sir Elton John, England World Cup winner Ben Stokes and former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan-Smith are among those believed to be affected by the erroneous publication.
The Cabinet Office has apologised for the mistake and confirmed the personal information was "removed as soon as possible."
A spokesman said: "A version of the New Year Honours 2020 list was published in error which contained recipients' addresses.
"The information was removed as soon as possible. We apologise to all those affected and are looking into how this happened.
"We have reported the matter to the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) and are contacting all those affected directly."
An ICO statement said: "In response to reports of a data breach involving the Cabinet Office and the NY Honours list, the ICO will be making enquiries."
Many prominent figures from the worlds of politics, sport, public services and showbiz were recognised on the 2020 New Years Honours list.
Iain Duncan-Smith's knighthood was met with fierce criticism due to his role in the creation of Universal Credit.
A number of England's cricketers, who received a handful of gongs, are also among those who are thought to have been affected.
