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Boris Johnson has told the Covid-19 Inquiry that he is willing to hand over “all unredacted WhatsApp” messages – including 2020 material from a previous phone discarded for security reasons.
The former prime minister is under fire once again after it emerged on Thursday that he had only handed over Covid-related messages from May 2021 or later to Cabinet Office officials.
In a letter to inquiry chair Baroness Hallett, Mr Johnson said he would today hand over all the material already given to the Cabinet Office “in unredacted form” to her team.
Earlier, a minister said Rishi Sunak’s legal bid to prevent the inquiry from obtaining WhatsApp messages sent by Boris Johnson to government colleagues during the pandemic was likely to fail.
Science minister George Freeman, appearing on BBC Question Time, insisted the Cabinet Office decision to launch judicial review proceedings was not a “cynical waste of time” but admitted he thought the prospect of success unlikely.
The Cabinet Office is seeking a judicial review of inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett’s order to release the documents, arguing it should not have to hand over irrelevant material.
Breaking: Johnson vows to send unredacted WhatsApps direct to chair
Boris Johnson said he would share with the Covid inquiry all the unredacted WhatsApps he provided to the Cabinet Office, as well as material from his old mobile phone.
In his letter to chairwoman Baroness Hallett, he wrote: “I am sending your inquiry all unredacted WhatsApps I provided to the Cabinet Office.
“I would like to do the same with any material that may be on an old phone which I have been previously been told I can no longer access safely.
“In view of the urgency of your request I believe we need to test this advice, which came from the security services.
“I have asked the Cabinet Office for assistance in turning it on securely so that I can search it for all relevant material.
“I propose to pass all such material directly to you.”,
Adam Forrest reports:
Britain Coronavirus Inquiry
ICYMI: 150 questions the Covid inquiry wants Boris Johnson to answer
Key questions the former PM has been asked include:
- Did you say ‘let the bodies pile high’?
- Was there any scientific evidence on Eat Out to Help Out?
- Did the Cabinet secretary really suggest Covid ‘chickenpox parties?’
- Did you really say you felt ‘manipulated’ by scientists into imposing a lockdown?
- When and how did you first learn of Covid?
Jon Stone has more:
ICYMI: Suspended Labour MP ‘boasted about taking prostitutes to parliament’
A MP suspended by the party Labour over sexual harassment allegations is facing fresh claims he “boasted” about bringing sex workers into parliamentary bars.
Geraint Davies has been suspended pending an investigation into reports of “incredibly serious allegations of completely unacceptable behaviour”.
One woman has submitted a formal complaint, after Politico initially reported that five other women made sexual harassment claims against the politician. The MP said he did not “recognise” the claims.
Adam Forrest reports:
ICYMI: Brexit was ‘historic economic error’, says ex-US Treasury chief
Brexit was a “historic economic error” which has helped fuel high inflation in the UK, the former US Treasury chief Larry Summers has said.
The senior American economist also said he would be “very surprised” if Britain avoids a recession in the next two years.
Mr Summers said Brexit and other policies mean Britain’s economic woes are “frankly more acute than they are in most other major countries.”
Adam Forrest reports:
‘Eat out to get Covid’: Is this the real reason Rishi Sunak wants to hold back the WhatsApps?
The former chancellor’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme helped to lift the post-lockdown gloom, but might come back to bite him as PM, writes Andrew Grice.
Read Andrew’s full piece here:
Burnham in plea to ‘rewire’ Britain and boost devolution
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has said he understands the SNP’s claims that the Westminster government is “destroying devolution”.
The Labour politician cited his own conflict with the UK government during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he accused the Tories of “bullying” his region into accepting less than the requested £65 million business support package.
His comments came as first minister Humza Yousaf hit out at the UK government and claimed Scotland’s deposit return scheme could be scrapped after it failed to grant an Internal Market Act exemption that means glass can be included.
Rebecca McCurdy reports:
Boris tells Covid inquiry he wants to hand over all phone messages unredacted
Boris Johnson has told the Covid-19 Inquiry that he is willing to hand over “all unredacted WhatsApp” messages – including 2020 material from a previous phone discarded for security reasons.
In a letter to inquiry chair Baroness Hallett, Mr Johnson said he would today hand over all the material already given to the Cabinet Office “in unredacted form” to her team.
Adam Forrest has the full report:
SNP MP to make donation to charity after Independent reveals he expensed penalty charge
An SNP MP says he will be making a donation to charity after an Independent investigation found he had put a driving penalty charge on expenses.
Dave Doogan said he recognised he had made a mistake and had repaid the cash. He also apologised to his constituents for making the claim.
Mr Doogan was one of several MPs, including a Tory minister, to have expensed the penalties issued by Transport for London.
Jon Stone reports:
‘Kamikaze’ Boris sets his sights on Sunak revenge
There is no aspect of politics or public life that is any more than just a game for Johnson, and taking Sunak down with him would certainly count as a victory, writes Tom Peck
Read Tom’s full piece here:
How on earth did a Brexit trade deal come to be signed by Boris on a bit of paper from the loo?
The UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement wasn’t literally written on bog roll – but it may as well have been, so much did it damage British agriculture, writes Sean O’Grady
Read Sean’s piece here:
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWsvcG9saXRpY3MvYm9yaXMtam9obnNvbi1yaXNoaS1zdW5hay13aGF0c2FwcC1jb3ZpZC1sYXRlc3QtYjIzNTAxNTguaHRtbNIBAA?oc=5
2023-06-02 16:06:26Z
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