Government ordered to hand over Covid Whatsapp messages
The UK Government has been ordered to hand over an unredacted cache of documents, including thousands of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages, to the Covid inquiry after losing a legal challenge. The Cabinet Office had tried to block demands by inquiry chair Baroness Hallett through a judicial review, claiming it would set a precedent for intrusion into the private life of ministers and officials. But it said yesterday it would “fully comply” with the ruling, with a deadline of 4pm on Monday 10 July to hand over the documents. Lord Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Garnham said in their ruling that Hallett could see all the WhatsApps requested, but should hand back those she deemed irrelevant without them being disclosed to third parties.
The judicial review was criticised as “a desperate waste of time and money” by Deborah Doyle, a spokesperson for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK campaign group.
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