UK apologizes for publishing addresses of New Year Honours recipients

The Cabinet Office of the British government has issued an apology after the addresses of the New Year Honours recipients were accidentally published online.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said Saturday that a version of the New Year Honours 2020 list was published in error which contained the recipients' addresses.

"The information was removed as soon as possible. We apologise to all those affected and are looking into how this happened," the spokesperson said. "We have reported the matter to the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) and are contacting all those affected directly."

The list of over 1,000 honours recipients included lawmakers, celebrities and senior police officers. It was uploaded to an official website on Friday evening and removed on Saturday.

The list of honours is published biannually, once at the New Year and again for the Queen's birthday. It recognizes excellence in a spectrum of pursuits, ranging from arts and athletics to science and politics.