oris Johnson won't be restricted over what he can inform the Covid Inquiry regardless of being warned that he may lose public funding for authorized recommendation if he tries to “frustrate or undermine” the Government’s place, a senior minister has stated.
Robert Jenrick additionally insisted it could not be “sensible or reasonable” handy over ministers’ paperwork or messages if they're deemed irrelevant to the pandemic because the Government takes the official investigation to court docket to attempt to restrict disclosure.
Cabinet Office attorneys have written to Mr Johnson to warn that cash would “cease to be available” if he breaks situations resembling releasing proof with out permission.
The former prime minister has been on the centre of a row as ministers launched a High Court bid to problem the inquiry’s demand for his unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks.
He has vowed to ship all his messages to the official investigation instantly, circumventing the Cabinet Office.
He has had authorized recommendation paid for by the taxpayer, however the Sunday Times detailed the letter from Government attorneys containing the warning to Mr Johnson.
“The funding offer will cease to be available to you if you knowingly seek to frustrate or undermine, either through your own actions or the actions of others, the Government’s position in relation to the inquiry unless there is a clear and irreconcilable conflict of interest on a particular point at issue,” it stated.
But Mr Jenrick insisted it's “entirely up to the former prime minister how he co-operates with the inquiry”.
The Home Office minister informed Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “If he wishes to send his documents or WhatsApp messages to them then he’s at liberty to do so.
“He can advance whatever arguments he wants to and make whatever statements he wishes in his witness statement to the inquiry.
“There’s absolutely no sense that the Government will restrict what Boris Johnson wants to say, but if you use taxpayer funds obviously you should make sure you’re using them appropriately.”
He denied there are fears in No 10 that Rishi Sunak’s messages may reveal a plot to attempt to deliver down Mr Johnson, saying: “No, as I say, the issue here is a simple legal one.”
While Mr Johnson is on the centre of the row in the mean time, the Government is attempting to keep away from having handy over what it sees as irrelevant messages from different ministers.
This may embody proof from the Prime Minister, who was chancellor throughout the pandemic.
Mr Jenrick informed Ridge: “We want to hand over to the Covid Inquiry absolutely anything that has anything to do with Covid-19 or the purpose of the inquiry.
“Where there’s a point of difference is that we don’t think it’s sensible or reasonable to hand over documents or messages that have nothing whatever to do with Covid-19.”
As a former lawyer, he stated, the “normal way to do this is to set reasonable parameters” however to not ask for issues “wholly unrelated”.
He insisted the Government has the “highest regard” for inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett and isn't asking for “special treatment”.
“I hope this can be resolved indeed even before the matter gets to court,” he added.
The Cabinet Office insisted the letter to Mr Johnson was “intended to protect public funds” so taxpayer-funded attorneys should not used for every other goal than aiding the inquiry.
Former tradition secretary Nadine Dorries, a staunch ally of the previous Tory chief, stated it's “not a good look for the Government”.
“All evidence provided should be unfettered and not restricted by gov censorship – whatever form that may take,” she tweeted.
Conservative donor Lord Cruddas, an outspoken backer of Mr Johnson, who handed him a peerage, urged the MP to not be “held to ransom” by the risk.
“Don’t worry @BorisJohnson I can easily get your legal fees funded by supporters and crowd funding, it’s easy,” he tweeted.
After the Government launched its authorized battle, Mr Johnson wrote to Lady Hallett, saying he was sending all of the unredacted WhatsApps he had given to the Cabinet Office.
He stated he want to do the identical for the messages on an outdated cellphone he was informed to not use after it emerged the quantity had been obtainable on-line for 15 years.
That gadget shall be essential, containing discussions earlier than May 2021 together with across the three nationwide lockdowns he ordered.
Mr Johnson informed the inquiry chairwoman that he was “not willing to let my material become a test case for others when I am perfectly content for the inquiry to see it”.
The Cabinet Office missed Lady Hallett’s deadline set on Thursday handy over the requested materials.
But the Government division has been attempting to withstand the publication of messages it believes are “unambiguously irrelevant”.
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