Messages stored on Boris Johnson’s old phone have still to be handed over to the Covid-19 public inquiry, it has emerged.
Allies of the former prime minister claim that he is still working with technical experts on the issue, but media commentators suggest the contents of his phone could contain potentially damaging information.
The government was given a deadline of 4pm on Monday to hand over relevant material to the inquiry, and Downing Street said ministers had passed on all the information in its possession.
But it emerged that messages stored on Johnson’s old phone, which he was forced to switch off after a serious security breach in May 2021, remain stored on the device.
Johnson has insisted that he is willing to hand over messages on his phone if they can be downloaded securely.
They are likely to provide information about key government decisions in the first phase of the pandemic.
Speaking on GB News, Andrew Pierce said there’s a view in Number 10 that the messages could look “appallingly insensitive”.
Watch his comments in full below:
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