Boris Johnson ally tells Financial Times: Sunak Photo: Peter Nicholls/Reuters
The government was accused of a cover-up after it refused hand over full whatsapps of ministers to Covid investigation.
Baroness Hallett, chairman of the investigation, demanded that the government release messages from Boris Johnson and his key aide by 4:00 p.m. Tuesday.
Cabinet first refused, stating that he could not pass on irrelevant messages. before claiming, hours before the deadline, that he did not actually have Mr. Johnson's WhatsApp.
It emerged Tuesday that the government's top lawyer also told the cabinet not to release any «politically sensitive» details. discussions between ministers on policy during the pandemic.
The row has led to allegations of a cover-up amid fears that an investigation will fail to uncover the truth about government decisions and missteps during the pandemic.
«Now it seems that important evidence has disappeared. missing,” said Angela Rayner, Deputy Labor Leader.
«It must be found and handed over as requested if we are to avoid the smell of a cover-up and the families of the victims to get the answers they deserve.»
What do they need to hide?
These legal battles and delaying tactics undermine the Covid investigation.
Missing evidence must be found and handed over to avoid hinting at cover-up so that the families of the victims get the answers they deserve. May 30, 2023
Lord Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, told BBC Radio 4's Today program: «There is some cover-up going on here so as not to embarrass ministers, but there is also a cabinet fighting for the principle of confidentiality.»
This happened after publication of The Telegraph Lockdown Files, which revealed a tranche of 100,000 WhatsApp messages sent between Matt Hancock, the former health secretary, and other ministers and officials at the height of the pandemic.
In the wake of the pandemic, a spokesman for Mr. Hancock indicated that such reports are best assessed through an investigation.
However, it has since emerged that behind the scenes the government opposed full disclosure.
Rishi Sunak's spokesman denied the cover-up allegations, stating: “No. We want to learn from the actions of the state during the pandemic, we want it to be done strictly and frankly.”
However, sources told The Telegraph that the cabinet felt it was their duty to protect ministers and refuse to hand over the unredacted versions of the messages on the grounds that they were irrelevant.
The spokesman said: “We are of the firm opinion that the investigation does not have the right to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is outside the scope of this investigation.
«This includes whatsapp messages from government officials that are not work related but completely personal and touch on their private lives.»
An associate of Mr Johnson told the Financial Times that he pushed for the editorials to protect the prime minister.
“Whatsapps that the government really doesn’t want to disclose are owned by Sunak,” said an ally.
“Boris is just a distraction here. The government is taking this position because it does not want the current ministers to be included.”
Mr. Johnson was initially represented by cabinet-appointed government lawyers. However, he fired them after he was handed over to the police for the second time due to alleged violations of isolation rules that came to light from his diaries.
It is not clear whether the information he passed on to lawyers has since been obtained.
Mr. Johnson's office said he «does not object to the release of the investigation file.»< /p>
“He did it and will continue to do it,” said a representative of the former prime minister.
“The decision to challenge the position of the investigation on the editorial offices is up to the cabinet.”
< p>It is understood that Liz Truss, Johnson's successor as prime minister, also provided information to the investigation.
Who could be called prior to the Covid investigation?
In the course of the investigation, redacted messages belonging to Henry Cooke, a former assistant to Johnson who left his position as senior adviser in early 2022 after almost a decade at Whitehall, were handed over.
However, official documents show that key information, including about Covid rules regarding the protests against Sarah Everard and the relationship between England and Scotland's response to the pandemic, was initially omitted.
On Tuesday, Baroness Hallett , chair of the investigative committee , unexpectedly extended the 4:00 p.m. deadline for the government to turn over 48 hours of Mr. case, there are no documents, stating that they are in the hands of Mr. Johnson, and he must submit them.
But Lady Hallett demanded a testimony from a senior civil servant, accompanied by a truth statement confirming that the documents were not kept unless the Cabinet of Ministers presented them by a new deadline.
Lady Hallett stated that if the government did not comply , this may be a violation of criminal law and may be fined.
Collective responsibility
A government written notice from Sir James Eady KC, seen by Bloomberg, said documents that record discussions between senior ministers during Covid should not be disclosed «for granted» because it would undermine the principle of collective responsibility.
< p>It is an agreement in British policy that ministers can voice dissenting opinions and expect them to remain confidential.
The lawyer's advice, obtained last year, said the investigation would likely require the disclosure of information relating to ministers still in office and «would be very recent and would have a lot of political significance.»
This was the situation. in order to avoid the principle of collective responsibility, he wrote.
A Whitehall source said that the government had not edited any materials relating to the collective responsibility of the cabinet.
The source added that Labor adhered to those the same rules for ensuring collective responsibility during the Chilcot investigation of the war in Iraq.
The cabinet spokesman added that they have provided more than 55,000 documents, 24 personal witness statements, eight corporate statements and «a lot of time and effort» to investigate over the past 11 months.
The spokesman also said that any person or witness who wishes to provide material to the Covid investigation can do so directly.< /p>
Mr Sunak said the government acted «in a spirit of transparency and frankness».
But a Tory source said, “Cabinet pants are on fire. He totally mishandled Boris and is now investigating the wrong way, causing another day of chaos in the cabinet.
“There is no control over the droplet and Conservative MPs are increasingly worried.”
It was revealed on Tuesday that ministers will avoid questions about the deaths of thousands of nursing home residents during the pandemic until the general election , and the final public hearings on the investigation will not take place until the summer of 2026.
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