Authorities accused of COVID inquiry ‘cover-up’ as authorized battle beckons over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages

The authorities has been accused of an tried “cover-up” because it bids to dam the COVID inquiry’s request for Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks.

Bereaved households and opposition events criticised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after the Cabinet Office revealed it was taking the weird step of bringing a judicial review of Baroness Hallett’s order to launch the paperwork.

It comes after Mr Johnson, the prime minister throughout the pandemic, mentioned he was “more than happy” to stick to the inquiry chairwoman’s request and hand over the fabric immediately.

Ahead of a deadline of 4pm on Thursday to supply it, the Cabinet Office mentioned it was bringing the judicial assessment problem “with regret” and insisted it could “continue to co-operate fully with the inquiry before, during and after the jurisdictional issue in question is determined by the courts”.

The authorized apply representing the COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, Broudie Jackson Canter, mentioned the transfer confirmed “utter disregard for the inquiry”.

Labour’s deputy chief Angela Rayner accused the prime minister of “a desperate attempt to withhold evidence”.

“The public deserve answers, not another cover-up,” she added.

Liberal Democrats deputy chief Daisy Cooper mentioned the federal government’s judicial assessment was a “kick in the teeth” for the bereaved households of the tens of hundreds of people that died from COVID throughout the pandemic.

Read Adam Boulton’s evaluation:
Politicians are drawn to WhatsApp – and it threatens us ever knowing the whole truth

The Cabinet Office’s argument is the paperwork and messages being sought by the inquiry are “unambiguously irrelevant” and canopy issues “unconnected to the government’s handling of COVID”.

In a bunch of paperwork launched as a part of the authorized proceedings, it emerged the WhatsApp messages given to the Cabinet Office by Mr Johnson are solely from May 2021 onwards – greater than a 12 months after the pandemic started.

He was pressured to alter his cellular in 2021 after it emerged his quantity had been obtainable on-line for 15 years.

The paperwork additionally included a listing of 150 questions despatched to Mr Johnson by the inquiry in February, together with: “In or around autumn 2020, did you state that you would rather ‘let the bodies pile high’ than order another lockdown, or words to that effect? If so, please set out the circumstances in which you made these comments.”

He was additionally requested: “Between January and July 2020 did you receive advice from the then Cabinet Secretary that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock MP, should be removed from his position? If so, why?”

A spokesman for the inquiry mentioned extra details about the Cabinet Office’s problem could be supplied at a preliminary listening to on 6 June.