Several local authorities have reportedly pushed back against efforts by Reform UK’s Elon Musk-style ‘Doge’ unit to access sensitive data.
Senior lawyers and data handlers at some councils have blocked the party’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) from gaining access to personal and commercial information, the FT understands.
Kent county council has hired an external counsel to help challenge Doge’s access to internal data sets, two people briefed on the move told the newspaper.
Shadow levelling up secretary Kevin Hollinrake has previously warned Doge was a ‘cyber-security disaster waiting to happen'.
Speaking at the Local Government Association’s (LGA) annual conference, Reform UK’s director of local government Cllr Jaymey McIvor dismissed concerns over data sharing as ‘laughable’.
A senior figure from Reform told the FT the party expected to begin signing data-sharing agreements in the coming days.
