Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleDowning Street has confirmed that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer uses a disappearing message feature on WhatsApp. This admission has raised concerns about potentially deleted conversations between Sir Keir and Peter Mandelson, particularly in light of the recently released 'Mandelson files'. The government stated that Sir Keir's use of the feature complies with guidance, provided it does not affect record-keeping or transparency responsibilities. WhatsApp allows users to set messages to automatically vanish after 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days, meaning past exchanges between the prime minister and Mandelson would now be unrecoverable.The released 'Mandelson files' included only one page of iMessage exchanges between Sir Keir and Mandelson, where Mandelson offered advice during the election and after Sir Keir became Prime Minister. In fullStarmer uses disappearing messages on WhatsApp, No 10 admits after Mandelson files releasedThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
What are WhatsApp disappearing messages and why did Starmer use them?
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleDowning Street has confirmed that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer uses a disappearing message feature on WhatsApp. This admission has raised concerns about potentially deleted conversations between Sir Keir and Peter Mandelson, particularly in light of the recently released 'Mandelson files'. The government stated that Sir Keir's use of the feature complies with guidance, provided it does not affect record-keeping or transparency responsibilities. WhatsApp allows users to set messages to automatically vanish after 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days, meaning past exchanges between the prime minister and Mandelson would now be unrecoverable.The released 'Mandelson files' included only one page of iMessage exchanges between Sir Keir and Mandelson, where Mandelson offered advice during the election and after Sir Keir became Prime Minister. In fullStarmer uses disappearing messages on WhatsApp, No 10 admits after Mandelson files releasedThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
UK government confirms PM Starmer uses WhatsApp disappearing messages (24-90 day auto-delete), raising record-keeping and compliance concerns. Signals the governance tension IT leaders navigate: privacy vs. audit-trail requirements in regulated environments—essential context for enterprise communication policy.
