The UK government has lost a High Court bid to prevent the Covid-19 inquiry from seeing Boris Johnson’s diaries and WhatsApp messages in full.
The Cabinet Office had launched a legal challenge to a request from the inquiry chairwoman for unredacted messages from the former prime minister.
The government argued that many of the notes were “unambiguously irrelevant” to the case and included details of ministers' and officials' private lives.
In a ruling on Thursday, Lord Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Garnham dismissed the claim for a judicial review but said the Cabinet Office could make a different application to Lady Hallett, the public inquiry's chairwoman.
The judges said: “The diaries and notebooks sought were very likely to contain information about decision making relating to the Covid-19 pandemic and therefore ‘relate to a matter in question at the inquiry'.”
The government has said it will “comply fully” with the High Court judgment.
A government representative said the inquiry “is an important step to learn lessons from the pandemic and the government is co-operating in the spirit of candour and transparency”.
“The court’s judgment is a sensible resolution and will mean that the inquiry chair is able to see the information she may deem relevant, but we can work together to have an arrangement that respects the privacy of individuals and ensures completely irrelevant information is returned and not retained,” the representative added.
“We will comply fully with this judgment and will now work with the inquiry team on the practical arrangements.”
People who lost family members and friends to Covid vowed to push for “justice and accountability” when the independent inquiry into the UK government’s handling of the pandemic opened last month.
Lady Hallett requested a vast trove of documents, including 24 notebooks kept by Mr Johnson.
She said she wanted the “entire contents” of the papers, but the Cabinet Office argued this was unnecessary.
At a hearing last month, lawyers for the department argued the probe does not have the legal power to force ministers to release documents and messages it says cover matters “unconnected to the government’s handling of Covid”.
However, Hugo Keith KC, for Lady Hallett, said the idea that the Cabinet Office could decide which aspects were relevant “would emasculate this and future inquiries”.
Lord David Pannick KC, on behalf of Mr Johnson, argued there was a “real danger” of undermining public confidence in the process if the department won its bid to keep certain correspondence private.
Following days of public wrangling with the inquiry, the Cabinet Office took the highly unusual step of launching the legal action in June.
Mr Johnson was last month warned that public funding for his legal team will be withdrawn if he tries to “undermine” Rishi Sunak's administration during the inquiry.
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
'Nope'
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Brief scores
Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
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