High Court to rule on authorized conflict between Government and Covid inquiry chair
T
he Cabinet Office is to study whether or not it has received its authorized problem to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry chairwoman’s request for Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages, notebooks and diaries.
High Court judges are anticipated at hand down their resolution over the Government’s judicial evaluation of Baroness Heather Hallett’s order at 2.30pm on Thursday.
The Cabinet Office has refused to supply the paperwork, arguing the request is “so broad” that it’s “bound to catch” a considerable amount of irrelevant materials.
Lawyers for the division say the inquiry doesn’t have the authorized energy to drive ministers to launch messages and data it claims cowl issues “unconnected to the Government’s handling of Covid”.
However, Hugo Keith KC, for the inquiry chairwoman, has stated the concept the Cabinet Office might resolve which facets have been related “would emasculate this and future inquiries”.
And Lord David Pannick KC, on behalf of the previous prime minister, argued there’s a “real danger” of undermining public confidence within the course of if the division wins its bid.
The Government took the extremely uncommon step of launching the problem in June, in a transfer which attracted criticism after days of public wrangling between the Cabinet Office and Lady Hallett’s probe.
The former prime minister handed over his unredacted WhatsApp messages, diaries and 24 notebooks to the Cabinet Office in late May.
Mr Johnson himself is backing Lady Hallett, who rejected the argument that the fabric was irrelevant in a May ruling, in opposing the authorized problem over the request.
Lord Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Garnham are anticipated at hand down their resolution on Thursday.