THE Cabinet Office will take the Covid inquiry to court over its demand to receive unredacted copies of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and diaries.
After a days long stand-off between civil servants and senior lawyers investigating the pandemic, a judge will decide whether the messages have to be handed over.
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In a fiery letter to the inquiry, government lawyer Parm Sahota said: “The Cabinet Office has today sought leave to bring a judicial review.
“We do so with regret and with an assurance that we will continue to cooperate fully with the inquiry before, during and after the jurisdictional issue in question.”
The letter argues there are “important issues of principle at stake” and these affect the “rights of individuals and the proper conduct of government”.
Ms Sarhota said the demand for “unambiguously irrelevant material” goes beyond the power of inquiry chief Lady Hallet.
“Individuals, junior officials, current and former Ministers and departments should not be required to provide material that is irrelevant to the Inquiry’s work,” she said.
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