Ministers gear up for Covid court clash as Boris Johnson’s diaries stay private

MINISTERS are gearing up for a Covid court clash after the Cabinet Office refused to hand over Boris Johnson’s unredacted diaries.

The ex-PM warned it would be a huge breach of security to let the Covid inquiry have access to all his notebooks and WhatsApps from the pandemic.

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The Cabinet Office is standing firm and will stick to their guns in refusing to hand them over – despite the threat of legal action from the inquiry.

They have already dished out 55,000 documents and 24 witness statements to the investigation.

The deadline is 4pm today for the Cabinet Office to respond to their demands for the probe, which will begin this autumn.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “We are fully committed to our obligations to the Covid-19 Inquiry.

“As such, extensive time and effort has gone into assisting the Inquiry fulsomely over the last 11 months.

“We will continue to provide all relevant material to the Inquiry, in line with the law, ahead of proceedings getting under way.”

But the Lib Dems called on them to hand it all over.

MP Daisy Cooper said: “Failing to hand over the evidence in full, as requested by the chair of the Covid inquiry, would make a mockery of this whole process and would be yet another insult to bereaved families still waiting for justice.”

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is expected to meet Rishi Sunak this week for their first face-to-face meeting since the ex-PM agreed to stand aside and let him take the top job last November.

Sources close to the former PM say they have a showdown clash in the diary within the next few days.