U.K. Government Mistakenly Posts Addresses of 1,000 Honorees

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. government inadvertently posted the addresses of more than 1,000 celebrities, politicians and athletes who had been singled out for annual New Year’s honors.

“The information was removed as soon as possible,” the Cabinet Office said in a statement on its website. “We apologize to all those affected and are looking into how this happened.”

Grease star Olivia Newton-John was made a dame in this year’s edition of the list. England cricketing heroes Joe Root and Ben Stokes were honored, with film directors Sam Mendes and Steve McQueen also receiving knighthoods. Sir Elton John saw his status upgraded. He was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour, which only 65 people, including the monarch, can hold at any time.

Elton John was among the people whose address was published, reported the Guardian, which obtained a copy of the list. The mix-up marked a major security breach, the Guardian said, because the honorees also included senior police, Ministry of Defense staff and high-ranking counter-terrorism officials. Many had their addresses exposed, the paper said.

--With assistance from Jessica Shankleman.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andrew Davis in Hong Kong at abdavis@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew G. Miller at mmiller144@bloomberg.net, Virginia Van Natta

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