Sunak fails to hand WhatsApp messages from time as chancellor to Covid inquiry

Exclusive: PM claims he has changed phone since running the Treasury and did not back up the messages

Rishi Sunak has failed to hand over his WhatsApp messages from his time as chancellor to the Covid inquiry despite the high court ruling that ministers should disclose their communications for scrutiny.

In his witness statement to the public inquiry, seen by the Guardian, the prime minister claimed that he did not have access" to the messages during the period running the Treasury because he had changed his phone several times and failed to back them up.