Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages set to be snared in Electoral Commission probe of flab …

The Electoral Commission will have the right to demand emails and WhatsApp messages from the Prime Minister and key members of his staff as part of the investigation into how he funded the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat.The central focus of the probe will be the question of whether or not Conservative donors paid for the overhaul before being refunded by the party or by Boris Johnson personally. But Opposition politicians are pushing the watchdog to ensure that its scope is as wide as possible, to ensure that all questions about the controversy are eventually answered.Under the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009, the Electoral Commission has wide-ranging powers to demand any documents which may pertain to the alleged offences which are under investigation. Issuing a “disclosure notice” compels the recipient to hand over all the information – whatever form it is held in – relevant to the probe.News and analysis, direct from Westminster to your inboxIt can also force individuals to attend interviews, with criminal sanctions for those who refuse. As well as the Prime Minister, those likely to be grilled include Dominic Cummings, the donor David Brownlow who was proposed as the head of a Downing Street…
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