Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted the Government was acting “in a spirit of transparency and candour”
Downing Street has rejected claims of a “cover-up” as the Covid-19 inquiry extended the deadline for the Government to hand over former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks.
He said there is no requirement to “permanently store or record every WhatsApp”, with messages related to decision-making instead copied over to the official record. But the spokesman said it is “down to individuals to decide what personal information they are able to hand over”. Labour said the evidence that has seemingly “gone missing” must be found and presented to the Covid-19 inquiry to avoid the “whiff of a cover-up”. Deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “The fact the Covid inquiry has invoked legal powers to compel the handover of crucial documents in the face of legal battles and delaying tactics shows this is a Government with much to hide.
Mr Sunak and Mr Johnson are not scheduled to meet this week despite suggestions they would hold clear-the-air talks amid a row over the Covid-19 inquiry. It is understood that there had been initial discussions about holding a telephone call but this is not scheduled to go ahead as it stands. The row was sparked by a legal request sent by the inquiry on April 28 for a number of materials, including unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries belonging to Mr Johnson, from January 2020 to February 2022. In May, the Cabinet Office resisted the request, which was made under section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005 and which also applies to messages from Mr Johnson’s former adviser Henry Cook.
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