Boris Johnson: Deadline approaches to hand over WhatsApps to Covid inquiry

The deadline for the government to hand over Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and diary entries for the public Covid-19 inquiry is fast approaching. The government have until 16:00 today. 

The public inquiry, set to commence hearings in two weeks, will include testimonies from former PM Boris Johnson and others. But at present, the Cabinet Office has provided the former prime minister’s messages with significant portions blacked out or redacted. 

The inquiry says the failure to release the unredacted material would constitute a criminal offence. But Downing Street argues that certain parts of the material are “unambiguously irrelevant” to the inquiry, such as personal messages or content unrelated to the pandemic. 

The material in question comprises his official diaries – including 24 notebooks, and WhatsApp messages exchanged between Johnson, cabinet ministers, advisors, and senior civil servants. 

Baroness Hallet, the crossbench peer chairing the Covid inquiry, says that determining the relevance of the material is with her purview, not the government. 

The government raises concerns that disclosing the unredacted messages could compromise personal information and violate privacy requirements.

This disagreement may lead to a legal dispute between the government and the inquiry, with the courts ultimately deciding which materials should be made available.

The public hearings of the inquiry are scheduled to commence in two weeks, initially focusing on the country’s pandemic preparedness.