A UK high court has compelled Tory ministers to submit an unedited stockpile of document to the Covid inquiry, most importantly Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp communications, journals, and notebooks.
Sources within the administration claimed that, they would abide by the high court’s verdict, yet were worried that, the verdict has created a conduit for future requests for confidential information and conversations to be sourced from serving officials.
However, families of covid-19 deceased and other political opponents have criticized the Cabinet Office’s unsuccessful attempt to downplay the authority of the inquiry chair, Heather Hallett, and labelled their effort as a waste of time and resources.
In their verdict, Lord Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Garnham stated that, Lady Hallett’s demands for journals and notebooks “were very likely to contain information about decision-making.”
The verdict referred to the scope of the investigation as “very wide” and recommended that, Hallett’s team be given permission to “fish” for records with an “informed but speculative request.”
On the other side, the judges came to an arrangement that, the inquiry could view all the WhatsApps messages, but must give back any document that the inquiry felt were unnecessary, without sharing them with anybody else.
Hallett however, gave the Cabinet Office until 4 p.m. on July 10 to deliver the unedited papers that have been sought for since April 28.
To clarify Hallett’s authority under the 2005 Inquiries Act, the administration stated it would “fully comply” but justified the action by saying, it was in the public interest.
Moreover, some ministers initially opposed to turning up the entire batch of unedited records to the inquiry, out of fear that, they might contain sensitive information, such a child’s schooling plans.
Last Friday’s one-day testimony session featured arguments from the Cabinet Office’s legal team claiming that, Hallett’s demand was “so broad” that it was “bound to catch” an enormous quantity of information, that was “unconnected” to Covid.
The inquiry’s chief attorney, however, argued that, allowing the Cabinet Office to select the pertinent papers “would emasculate this and future inquiries.”
Johnson’s attorney backed the investigation, but expressed concern that if the Cabinet Office had been successful, there would have been “real danger” of the public losing trust in the procedure.
However, the order allowing Inquiry to return unneeded data appeared to have relieved the initial fears that, confidential data would be disclosed with “core participants” in the investigation, who have the right to see specific evidence, speak in proceedings, and query witnesses.
Deborah Doyle, a representative for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, criticized the government’s judicial review as “a desperate waste of time and money.”
“The inquiry needs to get to the facts if the country is to learn lessons that will save lives in the future. That means it needs to be able to access all of the evidence, not just what the Cabinet Office wants it to see.”
Deborah Doyle, Representative for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families.
A thorough investigation could save countless lives in an instance of another pandemic, she added.
The Labour party has called out the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for “wasting time and taxpayers’ money” on “doomed legal battles.” The verdict was labelled as “humiliating defeat” by Angela Rayner, the party’s deputy leader.
“The public deserve answers, not more attempts by the prime minister to undermine the Covid inquiry. There can be no more excuses for concealing the truth. It’s time to hand over the evidence.”
Angela Rayner, the Labour Party’s Deputy Leader.
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