WhatsAppening

Since the office of Prime Minster was created three hundred years ago we have never really known what to do with former holders or how to manage their conduct out of office. Unlike America Presidents have a clear defined afterlife they are still referred to as President, they have an established office, are there to advise current Presidents and are required to create an official library where document their presidency.

Across the pond once a Prime Minister has seen the Monarch on his or her last day then that’s it they go back to being a normal citizen albeit with a security detail and an allowance to maintain a vague political office. 

Most former Prime Minsiters have faded back into obscurity John Major went into business, Gordon Brown went back to scotland where he makes a few public appearances as does Tony Blair. Recently David Cameron has kept a vaguely low profile where he does a lot of charity work and volunteered with the Ukrainian war effort but has also been in several lobbying scandals. 

Since Cameron the last three Prime Ministers have decided to stay as MP’s and still sit in the commons, and stay in active politics.Theresa May even making several public statments against  Conservative policy in the Chamber .

Boris Johnson has also gone down the May route and has spent his post Prime Ministerial career seemingly at war with the current Government at times Johnson was critical and voted against the Windsor framework between being intervied by the standards Committee into partygate and has now gone above the head of Rishi Sunak by releasing his Whatsapp messages to the inquiry that is investigating the Johnson Goverments handling of the pandemic.

Rishi Sunak has been taking legal action to have WhatsApp messages not disclosed to the inquiry. However Johnson has bypassed him and handed them over. Which has put the current Goverment on a sticky wicket.

It has opened up a broader conversation of the ethicay of WhatsApp use in Goverments decisions. I find it very disturbing that Government Ministers and Prime Minister are communicating and making decisions informally via WhatsApp. Government decisions need to be made formally with a proper record being made and properly stored in a secure place. WhatsApp has end to end encryption however Boris Johnson’s phone was compromised when it was revealed his number had been on the internet for years and now we haven’t got a record of what he said right at the start of the pandemic.

The Whatsapp situation has shown just how informal Government is and has become. We need to formalise the office of Prime Minister both when they are in office and when they leave. We also need a Prime Minister library akin to what US Presidents are required to have . We also to give former Prime Minsiter an office with clear guidelines on communication.