Officials gathering material for the Covid-19 investigation on behalf of the government have been ordered to flag any material that may be ' smoking gun' and work 'clearly' against Matt Hancock. Credit: MATT DUNHAM/AFP
Covid-19 investigation documents deemed “extremely problematic” by the government should be flagged as “simmering”, its lawyers said.
Officers gather materials to launch Covid investigation -19 on behalf of the government, it was ordered to flag any material that could be a “smoking gun” and “clearly work” against Matt Hancock.
Materials that will be “useful”. and work for [Mr. Hancock] was deliberately taking steps to avoid the pandemic, but no one was listening” as “important.”
Lockdown Files Podcast – Trailer
The Covid Inquiry's first public hearings begin on Tuesday, with evidence from former government pandemic planners beginning this week.
Document disputes
Many of the documents needed for the investigation will come from the Department of Health and Welfare. support (DGSK).
It is understood that DHSC officials have already identified at least 22,500 hot documents, “many or all of which are expected to be released for investigation.”
Baroness Heather Hallett demanded the full story, arguing that this should be decided by the investigation. Baroness Hallett, head of the investigation, is currently in dispute with the cabinet over which documents to release.
Blocking Johnson's communications
Cabinet launched a judicial review to block Boris Johnson's WhatsApp transfer. messages and notebooks in full.
The government claims that the messages, which include conversations with ministers still in government, including Rishi Sunak, contain “manifestly irrelevant” material.
Lady Hallett demanded the full material, claiming that it is up to the investigation to decide what is relevant.
“Better Disclosure” praised
Hugo Keith KC, Lead Investigative Advisor, recently praised DHSC. for “much more comprehensive disclosure” – including Mr. Hancock's unredacted WhatsApp messages – than the Cabinet and the Foreign Office. >Cabinet initiated a judicial review to completely block the transfer of Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages and notebooks, alleging they contain “clearly irrelevant”; Contributed by: NurPhoto
Despite this apparently outspoken stance, an internal document seen by The Telegraph tells lawyers that “boiling” should be flagged if you encounter something that could be extremely problematic for DHSC and that everyone should be aware of. out.”
Another manual defines “boiling” as any material that is “key or a ‘smoking gun’ – i.e. the document will clearly either be useful and work in favor of [Mr Hancock], or against him. Very important documents.”
Red rating
In addition, the cabinet has ordered officials to assign a “red” rating to any cabinet minutes or material that discloses ministerial disagreement with government policy.
The guide, obtained by The Telegraph, shows that officials plan to speak to the investigation team and ask them not to release some of these potentially sensitive documents.
The guide says the red rating “will allow [Her Majesty's Government] to get involved in investigating further disclosure of materials related to the [collective responsibility of the cabinet or CCR] (for example, to key stakeholders and the public).”
CCR is the principle that all government ministers are bound by joint cabinet decisions. It is intended to allow ministers to “argue frankly and freely” in private, while maintaining a united front in public after decisions are made.
Is this necessary?
A cabinet source said the government might consider the question of conducting an investigation if it is “necessary” to release documents that show that the ministers do not agree with the policy.
The source said: “CCR is an important principle and people in public life understand how it works in government – where ministers need space to disagree, come to a conclusion, and then they all support the decision.”
According to the manual, the so-called “red” rating has not previously been used for any requests.
The document states: “A Red susceptibility rating is applied to materials that significantly involve CCR. This can be summarized as cabinet minutes and cabinet committees or any material that shows that specific ministers disagreed or held opposing views on policy.”
Lessons learned
The DHSC spokesman said: “We are fully committed to learning lessons from the pandemic and supporting the Covid-19 investigation, which will play a key role in informing the government about planning and preparing for the future.
“We have provided the investigation with all relevant documents and requested data.”
A spokesman for Mr. Hancock said: “Matt has made all of his notes and materials available for investigation without making any corrections for relevance.
“No wonder there is a lot to sift. Matt strongly believes that full transparency is vital so that all lessons can be learned.”
Listen to the latest podcast series from The Telegraph, The Lockdown Files, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere else you get your podcasts.
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