Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages recovered from old phone

Boris Johnson to hand over unedited messages to Covid investigation Credit: Andy Rein/Shuttershock

Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages have been recovered from his old phone, a spokesman for the former prime minister confirmed. Mr. Johnson will now hand them over unredacted to the Covid investigation.

“Boris Johnson is delighted that the technical experts have successfully recovered all relevant messages from the device,” a spokesperson said. “As has been stated on numerous occasions, he will now make this material unedited available for investigation.

“The investigation process requires the cabinet to conduct a security review of this material. As such, the timing of any further progress on the investigation is under the control of the Cabinet.

“Boris Johnson has always turned these materials over to the investigation and has done his best to help recover them. A thorough process, approved by the investigation, was put in place to make sure it succeeded.”

The device used at key times in the pandemic

Mr Johnson was advised to stop using the phone and no longer access it for security reasons when he was prime minister in May 2021. His number has been found to have been freely available online for 15 years.

The device he used during critical times of the pandemic is supposed to contain messages relating to a three lockdown order in 2020.

Annotation Mr. Johnson's ally admitted he was not «100 percent certain» that he remembered the PIN, but the government found a version.

Borough ministers fought to prevent the mass transfer of Mr. Johnson's notebooks, WhatsApp messages and diaries. But the investigation took the case to the High Court, and the government lost.