LONDON (AP) – As Prime Minister of Britain, Boris Johnson He launched an independent public inquiry into his government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now the inquiry wants to see, in full, what Johnson wrote to other UK officials at the time of the outbreak, but the government is resisting the requirement to hand over the material.
The head of the inquiry, Heather Hallett, a retired judge, has asked the Conservative government, now headed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to produce full copies of Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and notebooks, after initially obtaining redacted versions.
Government officials said they only removed materials that were present “Unequivocally irrelevant” to investigate, but Hallett wants to be a judge for it. She said it “All the content of the documents identified has potential relevance to the lines of inquiry being pursued by the investigation.”
Hallett, who has the power to collect evidence and question witnesses under oath, has set a Tuesday 4:00 pm (3:00 pm GMT) deadline for the government to turn over the documents, which cover a two-year period from the start of 2020.
But hours before the deadline, the government asked for more time, claiming it did not have Johnson’s WhatsApp messages or notebooks. Hallett refused a request to move the deadline to Monday, but agreed to extend it by 48 hours, to Thursday.
If the WhatsApp messages and notebooks cannot be produced, the investigation said, the government should provide witness statements from senior officials outlining what efforts were made to find them.
Sunak, who took over after Johnson left office in September, only to be succeeded by Liz Truss for a few weeks, said the government had already handed over tens of thousands of documents to the investigation and was “carefully considering next steps”. The government is concerned about the precedent the release of Johnson’s full, unedited conversations could set.
“We are well aware that the investigation has no authority to request unambiguous and irrelevant information beyond the scope of this investigation,” he added. The Cabinet Office, one of the government departments, said in a statement. “This includes WhatsApp messages from government employees that are not work related, but are completely personal and relate to their private lives.”
Former leader Johnson’s office said “He has no objection to revealing materials for the investigation,” But decisions regarding newsrooms rest with the Cabinet Office.
Bob Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, said the government may be resisting disclosure. “To avoid the disgrace of the ministers”, It is an approach called “Wrong”.
The UK has recorded more than 200,000 deaths among people infected with COVID-19, one of the highest tolls in Europe, and the Johnson government’s decisions have been endlessly debated. Johnson agreed in late 2021 to an inquiry after pressure from bereaved families.
The Hallett Inquiry is set to look into the UK’s preparedness for the pandemic, how the government responded and whether “The level of loss was inevitable or if things could have been done better.” Public hearings are set to begin in June, and Johnson is among the top officials who must give evidence.
The investigation has already landed Johnson in trouble. He was one of dozens of people fined last year for violating his government’s pandemic lockdown rules in the so-called Partygate scandal. Earlier this month, government-appointed lawyers who helped Johnson prepare his briefs and testimony found evidence of more potential violations of COVID-19 restrictions.
The new evidence concerns alleged visits to Checkers, the prime minister’s official country retreat, as well as possible intrusions into the leader’s Downing Street residence.
Officials reported the information to police, who said they were evaluating the new evidence. Johnson denies any wrongdoing.
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