First Thing: Washington Post publisher allegedly advised Boris Johnson to ‘clean up’ phone amid Covid scandal

Lewis has also been accused of using fraudulently obtained phone records for newspaper articles in the UK. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

Good morning.

Will Lewis, the Washington Post publisher, advised the then UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, and senior officials at 10 Downing Street to “clean up” their phones in the midst of a Covid-era political scandal, according to claims by three people familiar with the operations inside No 10 at the time.