Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Sep 06, 2025

UK ministers accused of ‘government by WhatsApp’ in court

UK ministers accused of ‘government by WhatsApp’ in court

Two high court cases brought by transparency campaigners exploring whether use of self-destructing messages is unlawful

Transparency campaigners have accused ministers of conducting “government by WhatsApp” in the UK’s third-highest court, arguing that the use of self-destructing messages on insecure platforms is unlawful and undemocratic.

Ministers and government officials could be stopped from sending “disappearing messages” after failing to keep public records of exchanges on personal phones, email and WhatsApp.

Some of those communications addressed matters of considerable public importance relating to the pandemic response and the awarding of government contracts.

From Tuesday, two separate cases will be heard over three days, with a decision at a later date.

The first case is brought by transparency campaigners All the Citizens (ATC) and non-profit Foxglove over the use of disappearing messages and auto-delete functions. The second case, brought by the Good Law Project, focuses on private devices.

On Tuesday, the high court heard that the prime minister, Boris Johnson, has used personal WhatsApp accounts to communicate “critical decisions”.

Ben Jaffey QC, representing ATC, said the messages could serve as a “public record for future societies” and that deletion does not adhere to “meaningful and parliamentary democracy”, allowing for “scrutiny through inquiries or court proceedings”.

The campaigners are also seeking an end to a Cabinet Office policy of deleting messages sent on personal devices, in some cases using functions that auto-delete messages after seven days, which they argue breaches the Public Records Act.

The government’s legal team contend that it is not unlawful for ministers to choose how they communicate, and the use of private devices is common in modern workplaces.

Executive director of ATC, Clara Maguire, said the case was prompted by a refusal from the Cabinet Office to answer questions on the use of WhatsApp for government business, which contravenes government policy.

She said: “It’s extraordinary that we’ve had to come to court to try and get answers. Our evidence reveals disappearing messages have been used time and again. This period, Boris Johnson’s government, will be a black hole for future historians.”

Evidence submitted to the judge includes several witness statements in which key figures of government are named for their use of personal devices and auto-deletion.

These include Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings, half the permanent secretaries in the Cabinet Office, all the special advisers and most Cabinet Office ministers, including the former health secretary, Matt Hancock, and the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi.

The evidence also shows that the prime minister requested summaries of his “red box” submissions by WhatsApp to his personal phone, even though No 10 policy prohibits the use of the platform for “non-trivial communications”.

In their written arguments, the claimants’ lawyers contended that the “admitted instances of the use of automatic deletion are likely to be the tip of a much larger iceberg”.

The government’s legal team has suggested that information in private accounts is “not, in principle, inaccessible” and can be retrieved on request, that although their use is discouraged it is not banned, and contend that “it is possible to operate automatic deletion lawfully and fairly”.

In a written submission, they argued that “there is no principle” of common law stopping ministers or officials from communicating in a way “they consider appropriate”.

They continued: “The claims advanced are detached from the reality of current working practices. The modern working age is defined by instant and fast-paced communications.”

The cases continue.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
×