Social Democrat Tobias Baudin criticizes Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson after a sensitive NATO document was left in an airport restroom. Baudin argues that such negligence would lead to dismissal in the private sector and urges Kristersson to take the incident seriously. The government claims the document wasn't classified, but Baudin warns of potential damage to Sweden's international relations.
Baudin Criticizes Kristersson Over Security Lapse: 'He Would Be Fired in Business'
Baudin Criticizes Kristersson Over Security Lapse: 'He Would Be Fired in Business'
Social Democrat leader Tobias Baudin launches a strong attack on Ulf Kristersson following the revelation that a copy of the Prime Minister's NATO dossier was left in a restroom at Arlanda Airport.
"If Ulf Kristersson were a business executive, he would have been fired long ago," Baudin asserts.
In November 2022, Ulf Kristersson (M) visited Turkey for discussions with President Erdogan regarding Sweden's NATO membership application. Upon returning, an official left a copy of the newly appointed Prime Minister's dossier in a restroom at Arlanda.
According to Dagens Nyheter, parts of the dossier were classified, and it was later found by airport cleaning staff.
In a comment to P4 Göteborg, Ulf Kristersson refers to the government's security department, which "handles individual employees' potential mistakes."
"I am the Prime Minister. I am not responsible for each of the 4,000 employees at the government office," he states.
S-Criticism: 'Could Harm Sweden'
The statement now faces sharp criticism from Social Democrats' party secretary Tobias Baudin.
"As head of the government office, Ulf Kristersson cannot simply dismiss these incidents. This is not an isolated event; several security scandals have occurred under his leadership," Baudin says.
Baudin points to the scandal involving former national security advisor Henrik Landerholm, who is charged with negligence involving classified information.
The government's press service tells DN that the dossier was not deemed to contain "security-classified" information. "Therefore, no damage assessment was made, and the incident was not reported to the Security Police," they write. Is the matter not resolved then?
"Parts of the dossier's content are said to have been classified documents. Disclosing this could harm Sweden's relations with other countries. Ulf Kristersson must take this seriously," Baudin insists.
Wants to Change the Subject
According to the Social Democrat leader, similar incidents in the private sector would have forced Kristersson to resign as a leader. Baudin now expects the Prime Minister to signal that he takes these incidents seriously and scrutinizes the organization at the government office.
"The culture in a workplace is created by the top leader. If incidents are not taken seriously, it sends a signal that they are not important, which is concerning."
On Wednesday, Ulf Kristersson sent a message to the Social Democrats, urging the party to take a stand on whether the Left Party can be part of a government, as the party is "torn apart on the issue of anti-Semitism."
Baudin finds it telling that the Prime Minister wants to change the subject.
"When we have leadership problems and secret documents going astray, Ulf Kristersson starts talking about a government that will take office after next year's election. I think voters are tired of the mudslinging, but I still pose the counter-question to Kristersson: Will the Sweden Democrats get ministerial posts?"
The Response: 'High Stakes'
Expressen has sought Ulf Kristersson. In a comment, the Prime Minister's deputy press secretary Hanna Strömberg says:
"The Social Democrats' tone is high, with high stakes if it turns out that classified documents disappeared during their government. I think Baudin should start by answering that question himself: can he and Magdalena Andersson guarantee that classified documents were not lost when the Social Democrats last governed? If such a thing happened, I assume the Social Democrats think Magdalena Andersson should be fired."