Boris Johnson arms COVID materials to Cabinet Office in ‘full and in unredacted kind’
All of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and notebooks that have been requested by the COVID inquiry have been handed to the Cabinet Office in “full and in unredacted form”, his spokesman has stated.
The spokesman stated the previous prime minister needed the Cabinet Office to “urgently” disclose the fabric to the inquiry.
An announcement from the previous PM’s spokesman stated: “All Boris Johnson’s material – including WhatsApps and notebooks – requested by the COVID inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form.
“Mr Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the inquiry.
“The Cabinet Office has had entry to this materials for a number of months. Mr Johnson would instantly disclose it on to the inquiry if requested.
“While Mr Johnson understands the federal government’s place, and doesn’t search to contradict it, he’s completely pleased for the inquiry to have entry to this materials in no matter kind it requires.
Reaction as Johnson hands unredacted WhatsApps to Cabinet Office – politics latest
“Mr Johnson cooperated with the inquiry in full from the beginning of this process and continues to do so. Indeed, he established the inquiry. He looks forward to continuing to assist the inquiry with its important work.”
The intervention by Mr Johnson’s workforce will heap stress on the Cabinet Office which has come underneath stress for holding on to the paperwork requested by the inquiry chair, Lady Hallett.
Lady Hallett had ordered the federal government division to hand over the former prime minister’s messages – alongside diary entries and notes – by 4pm on Tuesday 30 May.
However, the deadline was later prolonged and now stands at 4pm on Thursday 1 June.
The Cabinet Office has reiterated its refusal handy over a few of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages to the COVID inquiry
It has been confirmed to Sky News that the inquiry has not requested Mr Johnson immediately for the fabric and is ready for the Cabinet Office handy over the requested paperwork by the official deadline tomorrow.
The Cabinet Office later launched a press release on Wednesday confirming it had acquired the data and that officers have been contemplating it.
Despite dealing with accusations of a cover-up, the Cabinet Office final night time stuck by its refusal to hand over the documents, arguing that it was “firmly of the view that the inquiry does not have the power to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is beyond the scope of this investigation”.
The division stated it has already offered “upwards of 55,000 documents, 24 personal witness statements, eight corporate statements” and that “extensive time and effort” had gone into helping the inquiry during the last 11 months.
But it added: “However, we are firmly of the view that the inquiry does not have the power to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is beyond the scope of this investigation.
Boris Johnson strikes the primary blow
Boris Johnson has struck a decisive blow to the federal government together with his resolution handy his full and unredacted WhatsApp messages and paperwork to the Cabinet Office.
The former prime minister has moved swiftly forward of the deadline for handing over the fabric to the COVID inquiry, probably to the embarrassment of Rishi Sunak and the federal government.
And opposition MPs at the moment are prone to flip their fireplace on to Downing Street – who’ve stood by their resolution to refuse handy over all the fabric.
Mr Johnson has determined to strike, he has handed over his materials and it’s as much as the federal government how they reply.
This is a blow struck by Mr Johnson in opposition to those that declare he’s holding issues up and concerned in some type of cover-up.
The stress is now on Rishi Sunak to behave.
“This includes the WhatsApp messages of government employees’ which are not about work but instead are entirely personal and relate to their private lives.”
If the federal government doesn’t abide by the brand new deadline on Thursday, Lady Hallett has ordered {that a} assertion be despatched by a “senior civil servant” confirming the Cabinet Office doesn’t have the requested data, in addition to a chronology of the federal government’s contacts with Mr Johnson concerning the requests and whether or not the federal government has ever had the information.
Breaking a bit 21 order may see the federal government face criminal proceedings, and there’s additionally potential for a court docket battle over whether or not the data ought to be handed to the inquiry.
Speaking shortly earlier than the inquiry’s announcement, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated the “government is carefully considering its position, but it is confident in the approach that it’s taking”.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have criticised Mr Sunak for hesitating over the order, with shadow well being secretary Wes Streeting accusing the prime minister of being “slippery”.
On Tuesday Mr Streeting stated Mr Sunak ought to “comply with the inquiry and do it today”.
“One minute the government says the messages they have are immaterial; the next minute they’re saying they don’t exist. Which is it?”
Rishi Sunak provides his response to hypothesis surrounding Boris Johnson’s messages being given to the COVID inquiry
He stated the prime minister’s “slipperiness” gave “the impression of someone who is not fully committed to transparency, openness, accountability”.
Asked whether or not he was involved a few potential “cover-up”, Mr Streeting stated: “I think the fact the prime minister looks so slippery today will be a cause of deep anxiety to people who are following the inquiry closely – not least those families who have suffered bereavement and just want some honesty and some answers.”
The unbiased COVID inquiry, chaired by Lady Hallet, was introduced by Mr Johnson in May 2021 and can study the federal government’s dealing with of the pandemic.
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Government stands by refusal to hand over Boris Johnson’s ‘private’ WhatsApp messages following criticism
The battle between the events centres on messages Mr Johnson despatched and acquired, in addition to his diaries and his notebooks from in the course of the pandemic.
The row began when the inquiry issued a legal notice to the Cabinet Office final week for not handing over the complete contents of Mr Johnson’s messages.
While the federal government believes it has no obligation to reveal “unambiguously irrelevant” materials, Lady Hallett disagrees -and underneath the Inquiries Act 2005, she has the ultimate phrase.
In her response to the federal government, she rejected their argument concerning the Cabinet Office deciding what or what is not “unambiguously irrelevant”.
She stated in her ruling that every one these paperwork “contain information that is potentially relevant” to how selections have been made in the course of the pandemic.