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UK Accused of Cover-Up in Data Loss
Higher-ups okayed sending files with personal info on 25M
By Jason Farago
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Posted Nov 23, 07 12:27 PM CST
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(Newser)
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Alistair Darling's disastrous week continued today as the British chancellor of the exchequer faced accusations of a cover-up in the lost-data fiasco, the Telegraph reports. Contrary to Darling's claim that the loss of 25 million people's data was an error by a junior administrator, newly released e-mails indicate senior tax officials knew about the decision to cut costs by not purging sensitive information before transferring the files.
Meanwhile, a Guardian investigation reveals that Northern Rock, the drowning bank to which Darling has committed $46 billion in taxpayers' money, has a massive hole in its finances and might not be able to repay its Treasury loan if it collapses. The twin headaches have jeopardized Labour's reputation for competence: The Tories are now 9 points ahead in the polls.