Boris Johnson has been unable to give the Covid inquiry Whatsapp messages from his old iPhone because he has forgotten passcode
Government security experts trying to establish if they can stop the iPhone erasing itself if passcode is wrong.
Boris Johnson can’t ‘100% recollect’ the passcode for his old iPhone
Rather than take risk of device disabling, security experts are trying to find a way of getting round it
His iPhone has a much higher level of security than normal iPhones, which disable after 10+ attempts. The inquiry has confirmed that he is co-operating fully and a source close to Johnson said he wants to give the messages
The Cabinet Office is attempting to establish if it has a central record of the passcode…..
Many of the messages on Boris Johnson’s iPhone have already been supplied to the Cabinet Office by others
The phone was last accessed in December 2021, when messages were supplied to Lord Geidt relating to the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat.
The government had until 16.00 BST on Monday to hand over relevant material to the inquiry after the Cabinet Office lost a legal challenge.
But the BBC understands neither the government nor Mr Johnson’s team can access messages on the phone.
The phone, which Mr Johnson used until May 2021, is with the ex-PM’s lawyers. Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett had requested access to WhatsApp messages on Mr Johnson’s devices from a group chat set up to discuss the pandemic response.
She also asked to see WhatsApp messages he exchanged with a host of politicians, including then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak, as well as various civil servants, including the UK’s top civil servant Simon Case.
But the former PM’s WhatsApp messages are held on a mobile phone which has been turned off and securely locked away since May 2021, due to a security breach.
Mr Johnson was forced to change his mobile phone in 2021 after it emerged his number had been publicly available online for 15 years.
The rest of the messages the High Court ruled should be shared with the inquiry were sent on Monday morning.
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