How is WhatsApp changing government?

With the government taking the Covid inquiry to court to protect WhatsApp messages, the use of WhatsApp is in the spotlight. It has become fundamental to the way Westminster and Whitehall works – but is this way of communicating good for government?

It has been reported that key decisions during the pandemic were taken in WhatsApp groups – made up of the prime minister and a handful of advisers. While some messages have been leaked, much of the content may never see the light of day – particularly with some users setting their messages to ‘disappear’ within days or even hours. 

So is WhatsApp changing the way decisions are made or is it just the 21st century equivalent of an informal conversation in a corridor, a bar, or on a phone? What can be done to ensure decisions taken on WhatsApp are shared and scrutinised? And how much has changed in government since the app was first launched? 

To discuss all this and more, the Institute for Government brought together an expert panel:

• Dr Alice Lilly, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government

• Emily Walch, former special adviser to Vince Cable and Senior Counsel at Grayling

• Matt Warman MP, former Minister of State in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

• Henry Zeffman, Associate Political Editor at The Times

This event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

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