Covid inquiry threatens legal action after Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps ‘withheld’

The head of the Covid public inquiry has accused the Cabinet Office of holding again vital data on Boris Johnson’s dealing with of the pandemic.

Lady Hallett stated the previous PM’s diary entries, notebooks, WhatsApp messages and emails ought to have been handed over by the federal government division.

The chairwoman has demanded Mr Johnson’s cellphone exchanges along with his senior ministers, senior civil servants and advisers through the pandemic – insisting they have been of “potential relevance” to the inquiry.

Baroness Hallett rejected arguments made by the Cabinet Office in opposition to launch of “personal” exchanges – warning authorities officers of attainable prison sanctions within the occasion of legal action.

The extraordinary row comes as Mr Johnson cuts ties with the government-appointed attorneys representing him on the Covid inquiry after he was referred to police over additional attainable rule breaches.

Both the Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley Police are assessing proof about Mr Johnson’s time at Chequers, which got here from official diary entries initially reviewed by the government-appointed attorneys forward of the Covid inquiry.

In a letter to Baroness Hallett, Mr Johnson stated: “I am currently instructing new solicitors to represent me in the inquiry … As at today, I am unrepresented and my counsel team have been instructed not to provide me with any advice.”

The authorities was accused of holding again politically delicate content material from the inquiry. A supply advised i: “The Cabinet Office has claimed reductions they made contained nothing of relevance. They basically pulled things that are politically embarrassing.”

But Downing Street denied the redactions have been politically motivated – saying attorneys had made certain that “personal” messages have been of “no relevance” to the inquiry.

“It’s our position that the inquiry does not have the power to compel to disclose unambiguously irrelevant material,” stated Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman – insisting that “robust processes are in place to ensure relevant material is provided to the inquiry”.

In a collection of paperwork launched on Wednesday, the Covid inquiry revealed a legal discover on 28 April 2023 requesting communications from the telephones of Mr Johnson and his ex-adviser Henry Cook – a buddy of Carrie Johnson.

They embrace their messages with former technique Dominic Cummings, then well being secretary Matt Hancock, chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty and then-chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. The inquiry additionally requested for Mr Johnson’s diaries and notebooks.

But on 15 May the Cabinet Office denied the request, arguing the legal discover was illegal. It had offered the inquiry with solely redacted copies of Mr Cook’s WhatsApp messages and redacted extracts from the diary of Mr Johnson.

Baroness Hallett stated the request was made underneath part 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005 – stating that failure to conform may very well be a prison offence and punishable with a high-quality of as much as £1,000 and even imprisonment for a most of 51 weeks.

The Covid inquiry chair stated some discussions between Mr Johnson and his advisers concerning the enforcement of laws by Scotland Yard through the protests following the homicide of Sarah Everard have been initially redacted.

Baroness Hallett stated: “Whilst those redactions have now (very recently) been removed, it was not a promising start.”

Under the legal discover, the inquiry chair – who stated “entire contents of the documents” have been of “potential relevance to the lines of investigation that I am pursuing” – stated the Cabinet Office should present the small print by 30 May.

The recent turmoil comes as Mr Johnson accused the Cabinet Office of creating “bizarre and unacceptable” claims after officers referred him to police over additional attainable lockdown violations.

His ministerial diary reportedly revealed visits by household and pals in addition to officers to the PM’s grace and favour residence in Buckinghamshire between June 2020 and May 2021.

Mr Johnson’s spokesman stated it was “totally untrue” there had been additional rule breaches – and stated Cabinet Office officers determined to make “unfounded suggestions both to the police and to the privileges committee”.

The Cabinet Office additionally handed on particulars to MPs on the cross-party privileges committee – investigating Mr Johnson over whether or not he lied to parliament about Covid rule breaches at No 10 – final week.

The newest revelations appeared to extend the chance that the privileges committee might sanction Mr Johnson. A spokesperson stated MPs would take the brand new proof handed to them by the Cabinet Office “into account” earlier than coming to a verdict.

Rivka Gottlieb, a spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, stated it was “outrageous” for the federal government to “think they can dictate to an independent inquiry which of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages they can see”.

She added: “With the revelations that have come out yesterday about him breaking lockdown rules, you really do fear the worst about what they’re hiding.”

Labour’s deputy chief, Angela Rayner, stated: “The fact the Covid Inquiry has had to invoke legal powers to compel the handover of crucial documents suggests that this is a government with much to hide.”