The Cabinet Office has told a court that the prime minister’s text and WhatsApp messages during the period of the alleged lockdown-defying gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall are “no longer available”.

All The Citizens and the Good Law Project both yesterday launched judicial reviews against the government.
The activist organisations accuse ministers of breaching the law by failing to adhere to policies relating to text message deletions and using personal accounts for government business.

Chief operating officer at the Cabinet Office, Sarah Harrison, explained in a written submission to the court that: “As set out above, in April 2021, in light of a well-publicised security breach, the prime minister implemented security advice relating to a mobile device.

“The effect was that historic messages were no longer available to search and the phone is not active.”

The implication is that messages sent from the prime minister between May 2020 and April 2021, covering successive national lockdowns, are no longer accessible.