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Covid inquiry to finally receive Boris Johnson’s messages now recovered from old phone

21 Jul 2023 2 minute read
Photo Kirsty O’Connor/PA Wire

Boris Johnson will hand over messages from his old mobile phone to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry after technical experts managed to recover them, his spokesman has said.

The apparent breakthrough announced on Friday came after he was told to stop using the device over security concerns after it emerged his number had been online for years.

He then reportedly forgot the passcode.

But his spokesman said that the former prime minister was “pleased that technical experts have now successfully recovered all relevant messages from the device”.

“As repeatedly stated, he will now deliver this material in unredacted form to the inquiry,” he added in a statement.

“The inquiry process requires that a security check of this material is now made by the Cabinet Office. The timing of any further progress on delivery to the inquiry is therefore under the Cabinet Office’s control.

“It was always the case that Boris Johnson would pass this material to the inquiry and do everything possible to help it be recovered. A careful process approved by the inquiry has been followed to ensure that this was successful.”

Security grounds

Mr Johnson was advised to stop using the phone and not access it again on security grounds while serving as prime minister in May 2021.

It had emerged his number had been freely available online for 15 years.

The device he used during crucial periods of the coronavirus pandemic should contain messages relating to the ordering of three lockdowns in 2020.

An ally of Mr Johnson had conceded he did not have “100% confidence” he remembered the Pin, but the Government found a version.

Furnishing the UK Covid-19 inquiry with the messages would be the latest development into the official investigation’s attempts to get to the bottom of the handling of the pandemic.

Ministers had battled to prevent the wholesale handing over of his notebooks, WhatsApp messages and diaries.

But the inquiry took the case to the High Court – and the Government lost.


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Cathy Jones
Cathy Jones
1 year ago

In the above article are some of the loudest lies I have ever seen…not the Nation’s fault you understand. It’s just they had no other choice, thanks to the content of the story, to quote a bunch of lying scumbags who lie as easily as you and I blink.

….He really does need clapping in irons. I honestly cannot understand why we haven’t demanded he be paraded around on the back of a flatbed truck, touring the country in manacles as the people jeer and toss rotten fish at him.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

The delay in crooked Boris Johnson handing over his phone to the COVID enquiry was merely a delaying tactic so a government tech geek had chance to erase any embarrassing or damaging messages.

Gareth
Gareth
1 year ago

It does not fill one with confidence that this enquiry will uncover the truth, when the members of the enquiry have to go to the high Court, to get the government to release information to the enquiry, that the gov set up. I smell a rat.

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
1 year ago

It was always going to take someone more intelligent than him to get into his old phone but without denigrating the ‘technical experts’, that’s not hard is it? HE must not hand over the ‘unredacted’ messages, the tech experts must and cut him out of the loop entirely otherwise they will be heavily redacted obviously.

David Bevan
David Bevan
1 year ago

Is it a coincidence I wonder that this has occurred after the by-election?

Dai Ponty
Dai Ponty
1 year ago

Its an Establishment Whitewash all played out according to their plan

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