UK government refuses to hand over Boris Johnson’s messages to Covid-19 inquiry
- The probe, set up by Johnson himself when he was still PM, is set to investigate the UK’s pandemic preparedness and response
- Instead of complying with an order to turn over the complete files, Sunak’s government says it will take the matter to court
The British government on Thursday refused an order to hand over a sheaf of Boris Johnson’s personal messages to a Covid-19 pandemic inquiry that the former prime minister himself set up when he was the UK’s leader.
The head of the probe, retired judge Heather Hallett, asked to see notebooks, diaries and WhatsApp messages between Johnson and other officials that represent key evidence in the inquiry. The government provided incomplete versions, saying it cut personal and private information that was “unambiguously irrelevant” to the investigation.
Hallett, who has the power to summon evidence and question witnesses under oath, wants to judge for herself, and set a deadline of 4pm on Thursday for the government to hand over the unredacted documents, covering a two-year period from early 2020.
Soon after the deadline passed, the government said it would seek to challenge the order in court.
“The Cabinet Office has today sought leave to bring a judicial review” of the decision, it said. “We do so with regret.”