Boris Johnson passes deadline to hand old phone to Covid inquiry

13/07/2023 | Independent

Despite the deadline set by the Covid inquiry, Boris Johnson is still in possession of his old mobile phone that contains crucial WhatsApp messages. The UK government was unable to hand over the phone by the deadline, and both No 10 and the Cabinet Office have pointed to Mr Johnson for failing to hand over the phone in time. Mr Johnson's office claims that they are still working with government security officials to switch on the old phone and that he wants to cooperate fully with the inquiry.

However, Sky News reports Boris Johnson has been unable to hand over WhatsApp messages from his old phone to the COVID inquiry due to forgetting the password. The former prime minister has stated that he cannot remember the password "with 100% confidence," and there are concerns that the messages could be erased if the wrong password is entered too many times. The government-appointed technical experts are working to recover the material safely from the device.

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Boris Johnson

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