Johnson ‘mad’ if he did not think WhatsApps would become public – civil servant

Boris Johnson was “mad” if he did not think his WhatsApp messages would become public during the Covid inquiry, Whitehall’s leading civil servant told another senior mandarin in an exchange during the pandemic.

The exchange between Simon Case and Martin Reynolds was revealed as the latter appeared as a witness in the inquiry, where he was challenged about why he turned on a disappearing messages function on a WhatsApp group involving Johnson weeks after the then prime minister announced an inquiry would take place.

Reynolds, the former principal private secretary to the prime minister, was described as “Party Marty” after an email emerged showing he had invited more than 100 Downing Street staff to a “bring your own booze” event during the first lockdown.

His appearance comes as the official Covid inquiry reaches a week of hugely significant and potentially damning testimony, evidence that could shine a deeply unforgiving light on the inner workings of Boris Johnson’s government.

During cross examination by counsel for the inquiry, Hugo Keith KC, Reynolds said he was aware that all WhatApp messages from key decision-makers would become relevant in due course.

At that point, the inquiry was told about a message to Reynolds from Simon Case, who was cabinet secretary – and continues to serve in that role – who told him in December 2021: “The PM is mad if he doesn’t think his WhatsApps will become public via Covid Inquiry – but he was clearly not in the mood for that discussion tonight! We’ll have that battle in the new year.”

Asked what this was about, Reynolds said he could not recall but said he imagined that the prime minister had not realised all of his WhatsApp messages would become public via the Covid inquiry.

Johnson, who has yet to appear as a witness in the inquiry, vowed earlier this year to pass his pandemic WhatsApp messages over to the inquiry after experts managed to recover them from an old phone he had been advised not to use for security reasons.

At a later point during his appearance on Monday, Reynolds was asked about a WhatsApp group including senior officials, which he said was used to summarise and brief Johnson. The inquiry was told that on 15 April 2021, Reynolds turned on the disappearing messages function on the group a few weeks after Johnson had announced to parliament that an inquiry would take place.

Asked why he did this, Reynolds said he did not believe it was to prevent the inquiry from having sight of them.

He added: “It could for example, have been because I was worried about someone screen shooting or using some of the exchanges and leaking them.”

Keith reminded him that members of the group were some of his most closest and important colleagues, with whom he had been engaging for many months.

Reynolds was the sender of an email to Downing Street staff in May 2020 inviting them to “bring your own booze” to the garden of the building. This event resulted in a number of people being fined.

“Hi all, after what has been an incredibly busy period we thought it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden this evening. Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!” the email said.

The email had invited more than 100 employees to the gathering at a time when social mixing was banned except with one other person from another household outdoors in a public place.