UK govt loses legal battle to prevent Covid inquiry from accessing Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages

The UK government has been unsuccessful in its legal challenge to prevent the Covid inquiry from accessing Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages, diaries, and notebooks in their entirety. The Cabinet Office had argued that it should not be obligated to provide irrelevant material, but inquiry chair Baroness Hallett asserted that the determination of relevance should be within her purview.

Responding to the court's judgment, the government said that it would comply with the decision and collaborate with the inquiry team on "practical arrangements", reports BBC. The Covid inquiry said it was "pleased" with the verdict, and Baroness Hallett is expected to receive the requested material by a specified deadline of 4 pm on July 10th.

What the ruling means

The court's ruling as per BBC is likely to bolster the authority of the inquiry and its ability to demand evidence.

In its ruling, the court stated that inquiries should be allowed to seek out relevant documents, even if it means potentially acquiring some irrelevant material.

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The judges also suggested that the Cabinet Office could directly present its case to the inquiry regarding the relevance of certain documents.

Will the data be available to public?

The court's decision does not automatically mean that the public will have access to the documents in their entirety. The inquiry may apply its own redactions or decide against their public disclosure altogether.

Deborah Doyle, a spokesperson for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK group, criticised the government's legal challenge, stating that it was a "was a desperate waste of time and money".

"A successful inquiry could save thousands of lives in the event of another pandemic, and it's a disgrace that the Cabinet Office is trying to obstruct it," she added.

The controversy: Inquiry vs government

The dispute between the Covid inquiry and the government, as well as Boris Johnson himself, was sparked earlier this year when the inquiry requested access to WhatsApp messages on Johnson's devices, including those from a group chat discussing the pandemic response. The inquiry also sought messages from other politicians, including current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, reports BBC.

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During the case hearing, the government expressed reluctance in challenging the inquiry's request, citing concerns about the privacy and the personal nature of some of the messages. The Cabinet Office also mentioned confidential information related to "border incursions by one foreign state into the territory of another foreign state"

Representing the inquiry, Hugo Keith KC argued against allowing the Cabinet Office to determine relevance, stating that it would impede the effectiveness of this and future inquiries and likening it to the government "marking its own homework".

(With inputs from agencies)

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