Why are people in Britain talking about Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages?

LONDON - Critics accuse the British administration of running "government by WhatsApp" because of the popularity of the messaging app with politicians and officials.

So it feels inevitable that a tussle over WhatsApp messages is at the heart of Britain's official inquiry into how the country handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Conservative government, now led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, wants to be able to edit the messages before handing them over, saying some are personal and irrelevant to the inquiry.

More than 200,000 people have died in Britain after testing positive for COVID-19, one of the highest tolls in Europe, and the decisions of Johnson's government have been endlessly debated.

Public hearings are scheduled to begin June 13 and last until 2026, with the former prime minister and a host of senior officials due to give evidence.

It says publishing them would be "an unwarranted intrusion into other aspects of the work of government," and into individuals' "legitimate expectations of privacy and protection of their personal information."