Washington Post CEO Advised Boris Johnson to ‘Clean Up’ Phone in COVID Party Scandal: Report

The embattled new CEO and publisher of The Washington Post advised former British leader Boris Johnson and other senior Downing Street officials to “clean up” their phones during the COVID party scandal that contributed to Johnson’s downfall, according to a report. Will Lewis, who has faced scrutiny over his alleged involvement in cleaning up a phone hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids (Lewis denies all wrongdoing), allegedly gave the advice in December 2021 and January 2022 during the so-called “partygate” scandal that engulfed the British government during the pandemic, sources told The Guardian. At the time, Lewis was reportedly working as an informal adviser to Johnson—who was widely condemned over parties at No. 10 that breached lockdown restrictions at the time. Sources told The Guardian Lewis’ alleged guidance was understood as advice to remove images and messages from their devices which “could be damaging in any investigations.” A spokesperson for Lewis told the newspaper that its story is “categorically untrue,” while a spokesperson for Johnson similarly described the story as “untrue.”