Boris Johnson 'can't remember code' to unlock iPhone for Covid investigation

Boris Johnson reportedly can't remember the code to unlock his old iPhone. Credit: Andy Rein/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The Covid investigation still hasn't received a WhatsApp message from Boris Johnson's old phone because he reportedly forgot his device passcode.

Cabinet stated that he handed over all the materials requested during the investigation after an unsuccessful legal battle to retain the unredacted message and notebooks belonging to the former prime minister.

However, messages from Mr. Johnson's old phone, which holds correspondence up to May 2021, have not yet been passed on to Baroness Hallett, head of the Investigations Division.< /p>

The former prime minister stopped using the device in May 2021 from for security reasons, after it turned out that his number had been freely available on the Internet for 15 years.

The phone is now with Mr. Johnson's lawyers, and his spokesman has not denied reports in The Times that he cannot remember the iPhone's unlock code.

Government officials will continue to try to securely retrieve messages on the phone. phone, but there are concerns that the content could be erased if an incorrect combination of numbers is entered.

There are likely messages on the device regarding the order of three locks in 2020.

Representative of the former Prime Minister said: «The phone is with Mr. Johnson's lawyers.

“Government-appointed technical experts are continuing to safely remove material from the device.

“As previously stated, Mr. Johnson will cooperate fully with the investigation. He wants to disclose any relevant material, so he is fully cooperating with this process.”

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It is clear that investigators are aware of efforts to safely retrieve Mr. Johnson’s old phone.

< p>However, some security experts have cast doubt on claims that Mr. Johnson's messages could not be accessed because of Mr. Johnson's memory lapse.

Andrew Whaley, senior technical director at Promon, a Norwegian cybersecurity company, said it was a weak excuse. As long as Boris's WhatsApp is backed up, access to the data will take a few minutes.

“Because this is a diplomatic phone, the security measures may well be different, but nevertheless, it is by no means an impossible task.

The government has handed over the rest of Mr Johnson's unedited notebooks, WhatsApp messages and diaries from his time in Downing Street to investigators after they failed to prevent their publication.

< p> >He contested Baroness Hallett's request for their release, arguing that he should not turn over material that was «obviously irrelevant.»

The High Court, however, rejected that argument last week. The Cabinet of Ministers had until 16:00 Monday to comply with its decision to hand over the documents.