Boris Johnson says WhatsApps for Covid inquiry recovered

Boris Johnson says WhatsApps earlier May 2021 that are owed to beryllium handed to the Covid enquiry person present been downloaded.

There has been a hold successful getting them to the inquiry, arsenic they were connected the erstwhile PM's aged telephone and helium could not retrieve the walk code.

Technicians feared that getting it incorrect could pb to the information being wiped.

But determination was a breakthrough past week, erstwhile the authorities recovered a grounds of his Pin code.

A spokesperson said method experts had present "successfully recovered each applicable messages from the device".

"The enquiry process requires that a information cheque of this worldly is present made by the Cabinet Office," the spokesperson added.

"The timing of immoderate further advancement connected transportation to the enquiry is truthful nether the Cabinet Office's control."

The enquiry has requested the WhatsApp messages arsenic portion of its investigations into UK authorities decision-making connected Covid. Hearings for that portion of the enquiry are owed to statesman successful October.

It has requested messages connected Mr Johnson's devices from a radical chat that was acceptable up to sermon the pandemic response.

It has besides demanded his one-to-one messages exchanged during the pandemic with astir 40 politicians, advisers and officials, including then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Simon Case, the UK's apical civilian servant.

The authorities had attempted to artifact merchandise of the earthy messages, arguing that immoderate of them were irrelevant to the enquiry and that it should beryllium capable to redact - oregon artifact retired - these archetypal earlier handing them over.

But it was ordered to manus implicit the messages unredacted earlier this month, aft a ineligible situation it mounted was struck down successful the High Court.

It has antecedently said the "unambiguously irrelevant" WhatsApps it held included messages astir disciplinary matters, household information, and "comments of a idiosyncratic nature" astir individuals.

Crossbench adjacent Baroness Hallett, who chairs the inquiry, has besides revealed it blanked retired - oregon redacted - WhatsApps astir "relations betwixt the UK and Scottish governments," and however WhatsApp itself should beryllium utilized to sermon policy.

She has besides disclosed an archetypal determination was made to blank retired messages betwixt Mr Johnson and his advisers astir however the Met constabulary enforced Covid laws astatine a March 2021 vigil pursuing the execution of Sarah Everard.

Writing successful May, she said the redactions were aboriginal removed but "it was not a promising start".

Mr Johnson was forced to alteration his mobile telephone successful 2021 aft it emerged his fig had been publically disposable online for 15 years.

The erstwhile premier curate insisted passim that helium was blessed to stock the messages connected his aged telephone erstwhile they are accessible.

The eventual merchandise of the messages to the enquiry does not needfully mean the nationalist volition spot them successful full.

The Cabinet Office tin use to the enquiry to marque redactions earlier they are sent to alleged halfway participants including different witnesses, authorities departments and bereaved household groups.

The enquiry could besides use its ain redactions. It could besides determine not to marque them nationalist astatine all.