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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Rachel Hall and agency

UK ministers accused of ‘government by WhatsApp’ in court

A smartphone showing app logos including whatsapp
The high court heard that the prime minister, Boris Johnson, has used personal WhatsApp accounts as a tool to communicate ‘critical decisions’ Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

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.

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