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A breakthrough may have been made in the saga of unlocking\u00a0Boris\u00a0Johnson\u2019s old mobile phone, after an ally claimed Rishi Sunak\u2019s government has recovered the passcode.<\/p>\n
The Covid inquiry had demanded the crucial device \u2013 known as \u201cPhone 1\u201d in Whitehall \u2013 by Monday 4pm but the deadline was missing due to complications in gaining access.<\/p>\n
Mr Johnson had forgotten the code used to unlock the iPhone \u2013 abandoned in May 2021 after it emerged his mobile number had been online for 15 years, according to The Times.<\/p>\n
Allies suggested it was not correct to say the former PM could not recall his own digits, but instead that he was just not entirely sure of them.<\/p>\n
The device likely contains key messages relating to the ordering of Covid lockdowns in 2020 and other important decisions leading up until April 2021.<\/p>\n
An ally of Mr Johnson: \u201cIt is not true that\u00a0Boris\u00a0does not remember his PIN number, it is just that he does not have 100 per cent confidence he remembers it. Separately, the government has found its own version of the PIN.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cabinet Office has been contacted for comment about the suggestion technicians have discovered a past code that Mr Johnson used.<\/p>\n
The former Tory leader was advised not to access the phone again on security grounds while serving as PM in May 2021, after it emerged his number had been freely available online for 15 years.<\/p>\n
Whitehall officials were known to be trying to securely retrieve the messages on the phone, which is being held by the ex-premier\u2019s lawyers. There were concerns the contents could be wiped if the wrong combination of numbers is entered.<\/p>\n
Boris Johnson repeatedly at odds with Sunak government over Covid inquiry <\/p>\n
(PA Archive)<\/p>\n
However, The Times reported that the device was last accessed in December 2021 after Lord Geidt, then the PM\u2019s ethics adviser, asked for messages relating to an investigation about the funding of the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat.<\/p>\n
If accurate, the report would suggest that the phone has been opened since Mr Johnson was told to no longer use the mobile. Mr Johnson\u2019s spokesman has been approached about the claim.<\/p>\n
But security experts have cast doubt on claims the messages cannot be accessed because of a memory lapse on Mr Johnson\u2019s part \u2013 saying the data could likely be retrieved simply by taking out the sim card and putting it in another phone.<\/p>\n
Andrew Whaley, senior technical director at Norwegian cybersecurity company Promon, said: \u201cThis is a pretty lame excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cProvided\u00a0Boris\u2019s WhatsApp is backed up, accessing the data would take minutes. As this is a diplomatic phone, the security measures may very well be different, but even still, It\u2019s not an impossible task by any means.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boris Johnson\u2019s \u2018Phone 1\u2019 demanded by Covid inquiry <\/p>\n
(PA Archive)<\/p>\n
Susie Flintham, a spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said the idea of the passcode holding things up was \u201ca complete joke\u201d.<\/p>\n
The campaigner said: \u201cNo one seriously believes that Johnson\u2019s messages can\u2019t be accessed because he forgot a passcode that he was apparently using last December.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cabinet Office had until 4pm on Monday to hand over the unredacted WhatsApp messages from Mr Johnson\u2019s previous phone after it lost a legal challenge.<\/p>\n
Ministers had fought a request from inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett to release his uncensored messages, notebooks and diaries, arguing they should not have to hand over material that was \u201cunambiguously irrelevant\u201d.<\/p>\n
But the argument was dismissed by the High Court last week. The government has since handed over the rest of Mr Johnson\u2019s documents, except for the messages from the locked phone.<\/p>\n
The inquiry is understood to be aware of the efforts to securely extract any potentially relevant content from Mr Johnson\u2019s old phone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email A breakthrough may have been made in the saga of unlocking\u00a0Boris\u00a0Johnson\u2019s old mobile phone, after an ally claimed Rishi Sunak\u2019s government has recovered the passcode. The Covid inquiry had demanded the crucial device \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n