Johnson urges UK govt to share unredacted messages to Covid probe

Former prime minister Boris Johnson urged the UK government Wednesday to share unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks with an inquiry probing the handling of the pandemic, after it threatened legal action to obtain them. 

The move follows the chair of the public inquiry setting a Thursday afternoon deadline for the trove to be handed over by the Cabinet Office, which has been resisting claiming it includes “unambiguously irrelevant” material.

The ministry, which coordinates government activity, has insisted the redacted parts are “beyond the scope of this investigation”, setting up a potential court battle with the inquiry and its chair Heather Hallett.

But a spokesman for Johnson insisted the ex-leader — ousted from power last summer following a revolt within his ruling party after months of accusations of lockdown infringements and other scandals — is “perfectly happy” for the contentious documents to be shared.

“All Boris Johnson’s material — including WhatsApps and notebooks — requested by the Covid inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form,” he said.

“Mr Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the inquiry.

“The Cabinet Office has had access to this material for several months. Mr Johnson would immediately disclose it directly to the inquiry if asked.”

The spokesman added that Johnson, 58, had cooperated with the inquiry “in full from the beginning of this process and continues to do so”.

“Indeed, he established the inquiry. He looks forward to continuing to assist the inquiry with its important work,” he said.

It remains unclear whether the Cabinet Office will heed Johnson’s call, and the demands of the inquiry, for the unredacted elements by the Thursday deadline.

The standoff grew over the last week, shortly after it also emerged that the government ministry had handed two police forces material about further potential alleged breaches of pandemic regulations by Johnson while in office.

They include possible violations at the prime minister’s country retreat of Chequers.

London’s Metropolitan Police has already issued fines to dozens of Downing Street aides after a criminal probe, which also saw Johnson became the first serving UK prime minister found to have broken the law, over one of the gatherings.

He had repeatedly denied in parliament, and elsewhere, that he or his staff had broken his own pandemic restrictions by holding boozy gatherings in Downing Street, but was fined for the single breach.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was also fined over one gathering in 10 Downing Street, when he was serving as Johnson’s finance minister.