More and more critical government business is being run on instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal. These apps include an auto-delete setting where messages disappear and become irretrievable, in as little as a second, if someone chooses to switch that setting on.

The government has openly admitted they allow ministers and officials to set texts to delete. And once a text is gone - it’s gone. Crucial discussions at the heart of government are vanishing - for good. This avoids transparency and democratic accountability.

Vital evidence of government decision making is being lost. That includes potential evidence about Brexit, the Covid response, or a crony lobbying for government contracts. It’s the modern equivalent of shredding documents and it should stop.

We want Boris Johnson to ban this practise across the government. The Citizens, supported by Foxglove, are taking the government to court and have been working on fixing this for over a year. Every signature on the petition helps prove that the public cares about rooting out corruption and building transparency and trust in our democracy.