Lagarde's Bold Move: Seizing Colleagues' Handsets to Prevent Leaks

European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde confiscated the mobile phones of her fellow policymakers during a recent meeting to prevent leaks of crucial information. Lagarde's move comes as a response to the persistent issue of information leaks from the Governing Council, which has plagued her presidency and that of her predecessor, Mario Draghi. The phones were returned after the announcement of Claudia Buch as the ECB's top banking supervisor. Lagarde's action followed a Reuters report revealing that the ECB would raise a key inflation forecast, which influenced expectations of an interest rate hike. Lagarde has been working to create a more harmonious atmosphere within the Governing Council and has urged colleagues to refrain from trashing policy decisions in the media and to keep their phones away during meetings.