Overview
- Security officials discovered a hidden camera in a communal ceiling panel at the Marsham Street Whitehall complex that houses the Home Office and MHCLG, and the device was reported to Security Services for investigation.
- The camera was located in a shared area used by multiple civil servants rather than in ministerial offices, and staff have said they were shocked and feared they had been watched.
- There is currently no public attribution linking the device to China or Russia and officials have not released details about who planted it or how long it had been in place.
- The finding has renewed scrutiny because the same building dealt with the January decision approving the Royal Mint Court site for a large Chinese embassy, a project earlier flagged over its proximity to fibre‑optic cables.
- Ministers were informed, Tory shadow minister Alex Burghart demanded urgent answers about responsibility and data compromise, and the MHCLG declined to comment on security matters as enquiries continue.