- Downing 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.
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