The messaging platform WhatsApp went down for users across the UK.

Thousands took to social media to complain that they are unable to send or receive messages on the popular Meta-owned platform.

It has since come back online for many users after a service outage knocked the popular messaging app offline for around two hours on Tuesday morning (October 25.

The Meta-owned platform has not yet confirmed the cause of the fault.

WhatsApp users across the UK and the rest of the world awoke on Tuesday to find that while most could access their conversations, they were unable to send or receive any new messages.

A persistent message was showing for many users at the top of the app, saying it is “connecting” to the server, but was never able to complete this process, leaving them offline.

The outage had come at an unfortunate moment for Conservative MPs who had been left without a crucial communications tool on the day Rishi Sunak enters office as Prime Minister and begins a Cabinet reshuffle.

WhatsApp is widely known to be a popular service among members of Parliament.

And on the day of a Cabinet reshuffle, many MPs hopeful of landing a ministerial job would have been without a vital way of sounding out advisers and contacts on their own chances and the fate of their colleagues.

The app has previously been identified as the communications tool of choice for MPs plotting against their leader, and Boris Johnson is said to have often been sent summaries of key Government information via the app during his time in Downing Street.

Many users had taken to social media to express their frustration at the issue.

In response, WhatsApp apologised to users for the outage.

“We know people had trouble sending messages on WhatsApp today,” a spokesperson for the messaging platform said.

“We’ve fixed the issue and apologise for any inconvenience.”