Boris Johnson – latest: Ex-PM offers to send WhatsApps to inquiry in blow for Sunak

Boris Johnson says he is “more than happy” to hand over his unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks directly to the Covid inquiry, as Rishi Sunak’s government prepares for a legal battle to withhold them.

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.

But Mr Johnson, in his own letter to the inquiry on Thursday evening, offered to hand over the material directly.

He wrote that agreed that in principle advice to ministers should not be made public, but added that he saw no reason why the inquiry should not be able to see his WhatsApps and notebooks, and to check them for anything it deems relevant.

The offer will come as a further embarrassment to the government, which is already facing warnings that its own inquiry could be seen as a whitewash.

The Cabinet Office says it has provided “as much relevant information as possible, and as quickly as possible” in line with the order.

Key Points

• Johnson offers to send unaltered files directly to inquiry

• Government takes inquiry to court to protect Boris’s WhatsApps

• Deadline for government to hand over WhatsApps expires

• Government says ‘important principles at stake'

• Ex-PM contradicts Cabinet Office claim

Breaking: Johnson vows to send unredacted WhatsApps direct to chair

10:48 , Matt Mathers

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:

Dozens of refugees ‘left on the streets’ in Westminster for two nights

11:41 , Matt Mathers

Suella Braverman has been asked to “urgently clarify” why a large group of asylum seekers were “left on the street” in Westminster for two nights running.

In a letter to the home Secretary, the leader of Westminster City Council expressed his “deep concern” that around 40 refugees were placed in the borough on Wednesday night “without appropriate accommodation or support available” and no prior communication with the local authority.

The group apparently refused to enter a Pimlico hotel where the Home Office had asked them to sleep “four people per room”.

Sophie Wingate reports:

Dozens of refugees ‘left on the streets’ in Westminster for two nights

Economists dismiss Tory push to scrap inheritance tax

10:50 , Matt Mathers

Calls by senior Tories to abolish inheritance tax (IHT) have been met with scepticism from senior economists and tax experts.

More than 50 Conservative MPs, including former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, have urged prime minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt to scrap the tax, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Sophie Wingate reports:

Economists dismiss Tory push to scrap inheritance tax

How Boris blundered into £10bn Australia trade deal concession scrawled on paper in the loo

10:24 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson blundered into a crucial Brexit trade deal concession with Australia over a chaotic dinner with prime minister Scott Morrison at No 10, it was claimed today.

He was bounced into signing a disastrous post-Brexit agreement after the Australians seized on a schoolboy howler over meat import quotas during negotiations.

Adam Forrest reports:

How Boris signed £10bn Australia trade deal concession scrawled on paper in the loo

150 questions the Covid inquiry wants Boris Johnson to answer

09:50 , Matt Mathers

The Covid inquiry has sent Boris Johnson a list of 150 questions and requests for his witness statement, documents released by the Cabinet Office have shown.

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry wants to see WhatsApp messages and notebooks kept by the former prime minister to build a picture of how decisions were taken in government up to and during lockdowns.

But Rishi Sunak has refused to release unredacted documents as his government on Thursday launched legal action in a last-ditch attempt to protect the material.

Here are some of the key questions the inquiry intends to ask:

150 questions the Covid inquiry wants Boris Johnson to answer

Public ‘sick and tired’ of government ‘ducking scrutiny'

09:26 , Matt Mathers

The public is “sick and tired” of the government’s attempts to “duck scrutiny”, the Lib Dems said as they announced they would try to force Rishi Sunak to publish “all material” relevant to the Covid inquiry.

Christine Jardine, the party’s Cabinet Office spokeswoman, said the Lib Dems will table a humble address motion next week as the row over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages rumbles on.

“People are sick and tired of the government’s attempts to duck scrutiny by refusing to hand over these messages in full,” Ms Jardine said. “Rishi Sunak promised to govern with integrity and accountability, instead it’s just more chaos and cover-ups.

"Bereaved families deserve full transparency instead of this endless game of smoke and mirrors.”

She added: "It’s time for MPs to come together, end this Conservative cover-up and force the government to come clean."

Speaking on Sky News, she denied her party is "playing politics" although the motion is unlikely to get a vote.

Suspended Labour MP ‘boasted about taking prostitutes to parliament’

09:00 , Matt Mathers

A Labour MP suspended by the party 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 the Politico website 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:

Suspended Labour MP ‘boasted about taking prostitutes to parliament’

Government ‘directly responsible’ for ongoing rail dispute, union boss claims

08:45 , Matt Mathers

Rail union boss Mick Lynch has claimed the government is “directly responsible” for an ongoing row over pay as some 20,000 train workers take part in a fresh wave of strikes.

Mr Lynch, RMT general secretary, accused ministers of costing the economy “£5bn in the course of this dispute” as he hit out at big dividend payments to train company shareholders.

Strikes by railway workers continued on Friday, causing fresh travel disruption for passengers. Members of the RMT, union employed by train operators across England, walked out in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.

Train services were disrupted by the action, which comes almost a year after the RMT held its first strike in the same dispute.

More comments from Mr Lunch below:

Shadow minister unaware of rumours about MP suspended over sexual harassment allegations

08:30 , Matt Mathers

A shadow minister has said he was unaware of rumors about a colleague suspended over allegations of sexual harassment.

Alex Norris, shadow levelling up minister, spoke to Sky News earlier this morning after Welsh MP Geraint Davies had the whip removed following reports of “unacceptable behaviour”.

Mr Davies said he did not recognise the claims of multiple women who say he subjected them to unwanted sexual attention.

Reports say the Swansea West MP’s behaviour was an “open secret”.

“What I read yesterday was what everybody else read,” Mr Norris told Sky News earlier. “That was the first time I’d seen or heard those things”.

Boris Johnson fails to hand over crucial WhatsApps

08:15 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson is yet to hand over any WhatsApp messages showing discussions he had during the 2020 Covid lockdowns, the government has said.

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry wants to see WhatsApps messages and notebooks kept by the former prime minister to build a picture of how decisions were taken in government.

But the former PM has only handed over a message archive dating to May 2021 or later, according to a witness statement published by the Cabinet Office on Thursday and sent to the inquiry.

Jon Stone and Adam Forrest report:

Boris Johnson fails to hand over crucial WhatsApps

Covid victims don’t want government ‘wasting time’ - ex-justice secretary

07:56 , Matt Mathers

“Wasting time” is not what those worst affected by Covid want to see from the government, the former justice secretary has said as he weighed in on the row over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages to the official inquiry into ministers’ handling of the pandemic.

Sir Robert Buckland KC, the MP for Swindon South who held the justice brief under Mr Johnson, said Baroness Hallett, the former appeal court judge in charge of the inquiry, “has the power” to decide what is relevant, making the Cabinet Office’s legal bid “a fool’s errand”.

“This is wasting time…this is not what the victims and those who are really affected by the events of Covid crisis will want to see,” he told LBC radio. Listen to more of Mr Buckland’s interview below:

Government likely to lose Covid inquiry legal challenge, says minister

07:29 , Matt Mathers

The government will likely lose its legal challenge against the Covid inquiry, a minister has predicted.

Science minister George Freeman, appearing on BBC Question Time, insisted the decision to launch judicial review proceedings was not a “cynical waste of time” but admitted he thought the prospect of success unlikely.

Dominic McGrath reports:

Government likely to lose Covid inquiry legal challenge, says minister

07:20 , Matt Mathers

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage.

We’ll be covering the ongoing row over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages to the Covid inquiry, the suspension of a Labour MP accused of sexual harassment and the latest round of train strikes.

Stay tuned for updates on these and other stories from Westminster and elsewhere.

Thursday 1 June 2023 23:10 , Jane Dalton

Our live coverage of the row over handing Boris Johnson’s Covid files to the inquiry is on hold for now. We will bring you further updates as soon as possible.

Sunak challenge slated branded ‘hopeless’ and ‘insult to bereaved’

Thursday 1 June 2023 22:59 , Jane Dalton

Labour former justice secretary Lord Falconer predicted the courts would reject the government’s “hopeless” challenge.

It was unarguably for the inquiry, not the Cabinet Office to decide the relevance of documents, he said.

Green MP Caroline Lucas said it was unforgivable of Mr Sunak to disrupt the inquiry this way, adding: “A huge insult to bereaved, NHS and care staff and us all.”

I might quit if I were Lady Hallett, says ex-inquiry chairman

Thursday 1 June 2023 22:29 , Jane Dalton

Lord Saville, who conducted the inquiry into Bloody Sunday, suggested that if he were in Baroness Hallett’s position, he might consider quitting.

“Trying to put myself in her position, if I was prevented from conducting a full and proper inquiry, I might seriously consider resigning on the grounds that I was unable to do a proper job,” he told Channel 4 News.

“It is a course that could be open her if she felt her efforts to carry out a thorough inquiry were being frustrated.”

Boris Johnson’s letter in full

Thursday 1 June 2023 22:00 , Jane Dalton

The former prime minister, who was in No 10 during the coronavirus pandemic, asks the Baroness Hallett to let him know where and how she wishes him to send his WhatsApp messages and notebooks:

Minister predicts government will lose judicial review

Thursday 1 June 2023 21:20 , Jane Dalton

A government minister has predicted the Cabinet Office will lose its legal fight with the Covid-19 inquiry after officials launched judicial review proceedings.

Science minister George Freeman said he expected the courts to side with Baroness Hallett, but that he did not think it was a “cynical” exercise and it was a “point worth testing”.

Mr Freeman told BBC Question Time: “I completely agree that in the end, this is a judicial decision. It’ll be taken by the courts. I happen to think the courts will probably take the view that Baroness Hallett, who’s running the inquiry, is perfectly entitled and empowered to decide whatever she wants.

“I don’t think it is a cynical waste of time at all. The privacy point is relevant. I think it’ll clear up and give people confidence, even if all this achieves is to make very clear that the inquiry will treat with absolute confidentiality anything private and we can get on with it.”

Johnson’s pre-2021 mobile omitted from evidence submitted

Thursday 1 June 2023 20:59 , Jane Dalton

In a letter to the inquiry, released after a 4pm deadline to hand over the material, the Cabinet Office said it had provided “as much relevant information as possible, and as quickly as possible” in line with the order.

A tranche of legal documents and letters published on Thursday evening reveal among other things that the WhatsApp messages passed to Cabinet Office officials are only from May 2021 onwards.

In a statement to the inquiry, senior civil servant Ellie Nicholson said Mr Johnson’s lawyers had not provided a “substantive response” to a request from the department for his old mobile phone.

Ms Nicholson said the Cabinet Office had received Mr Johnson’s WhatsApp messages on Wednesday afternoon and was reviewing the material “for national security sensitivities and unambiguously irrelevant material, and appropriate redactions are being applied”.

She added: “In that material, there are no WhatsApp communications before May 2021. I understand that this is because, in April 2021, in light of a well-publicised security breach, Mr Johnson implemented security advice relating to the mobile phone he had had up until that time.

Mr Johnson was forced to change his mobile in 2021 after it emerged his number had been publicly available online for 15 years.

It is understood that the former prime minister has no objection to providing the material on the phone to the inquiry.

He is believed to have written to the Cabinet Office to ask whether security and technical support can be given to help retrieve the content on the device without compromising security.

Covid families warn of inquiry ‘whitewash and cover-up'

Thursday 1 June 2023 20:20 , Jane Dalton

The government’s defence of its refusal to hand over the files has prompted warnings that bereaved families could now regard the public inquiry as a “whitewash and cover-up”.

A lawyer who represents the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, said the Cabinet Office was showing utter disregard for the inquiry in “maintaining their belief that they are the higher power and arbiter of what is relevant material and what is not”.

Elkan Abrahamson, head of major inquests and inquiries at Broudie Jackson Canter, said: “It raises questions about the integrity of the inquiry and how open and transparent it will be if the chair is unable to see all of the material.”

Johnson offers to send unaltered files directly to inquiry

Thursday 1 June 2023 19:42 , Jane Dalton

Boris Johnson says he is “more than happy” to hand over his unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks directly to the Covid inquiry, as the government prepares for a legal battle with the probe.

In a letter to the inquiry on Thursday evening, the former prime minister offered to hand over the requested material directly.

He wrote: “This is of course without prejudice to the judicial review that the government has now launched.

“I agree with the Cabinet Office position that in principle advice to ministers should not be made public. That is clearly essential for the effective running of the country and for the impartiality of the civil service.

“I am simply making a practical point: that I see no reason why the inquiry should not be able to satisfy itself about the contents of my own Whatsapps (sic) and notebooks, and to check the relevant Whatsapp (sic) conversations (about 40 of them) for anything that it deems relevant to the Covid inquiry.

“If you wish to have this material forthwith, please let me know where and how you wish me to send it to you.”

Order for unredacted evidence will slow inquiry, government argues

Thursday 1 June 2023 19:20 , Jane Dalton

The Covid inquiry’s approach to requesting unredacted material risks slowing it down, the Cabinet Office will argue.

Legal documents published as part of the judicial review challenge read: “If notices are properly restricted to relevant material, and if the door is not open for an exercise of powers of compulsion in very widely formulated notices on the basis that almost anything is to be characterised as potentially relevant, the inquiry’s work will not be impeded a jot in practical terms.

“They will receive, and the public can be entirely confident that they will receive, every scrap of relevant material.

“In purely practical terms, there are far greater risks attached to the sort of approach that has been taken here by the inquiry - risks of the inquiry being swamped with material, much irrelevant; risks of their resources being sidetracked into reviewing exercises that they should not be, and do not need to be, undertaking; and risks accordingly that their speed and efficiency put at risk.”

Labour suspends MP over sexual harassment claims

Thursday 1 June 2023 19:09 , Jane Dalton

A long-serving Labour MP has been suspended over allegations he sexually harassed junior colleagues.

The party has launched an investigation, writes Archie Mitchell:

Labour suspends veteran MP over claims he sexually harassed junior colleagues

PM urges nations to tackle illegal migration

Thursday 1 June 2023 18:25 , Jane Dalton

Rishi Sunak urged European countries to “work cooperatively to tackle illegal migration” at a gathering of leaders from across the continent in Moldova.

The Prime Minister also used the meeting of the European Political Community to call for more support for Ukraine, backing Volodymyr Zelensky’s case for his war-torn nation to be part of Nato, after talks with the Ukrainian president.

Ukraine’s “rightful place” is in Nato, Mr Sunak said.

We’ll comply with law, Sunak pledges

Thursday 1 June 2023 17:59 , Jane Dalton

Mr Sunak refused to answer questions on whether the government would hand over the evidence by the 4pm deadline, saying they had been “co-operating thoroughly” with the Covid inquiry and would “continue to comply with the law”.

All eyes on Tuesday hearing

Thursday 1 June 2023 17:37 , Jane Dalton

An inquiry spokesperson said: “At 16:00 today the chair of the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry was served a copy of a claim form by the Cabinet Office seeking to commence judicial review proceedings against the chair’s ruling of 22 May 2023.

“Further information will be provided at the module 2 preliminary hearing at 10.30am on Tuesday 6 June.”

Government takes own inquiry to court to protect Boris’s WhatsApps

Thursday 1 June 2023 17:33 , Jane Dalton

Rishi Sunak has refused to back down in the extraordinary row over Boris Johnson’s messages as his government launched legal action against the Covid inquiry in a last-ditch attempt to protect the material:

Sunak government takes Covid inquiry to court to protect Boris’s WhatsApps

Important principles at stake, says Cabinet Office

Thursday 1 June 2023 17:27 , Jane Dalton

The government is trying to take its own Covid inquiry to court as Rishi Sunak refuses to back down over Mr Johnson’s evidence.

The Cabinet Office said it had sought leave to bring a judicial review.

“We do so with regret and with an assurance that we will continue to cooperate fully with the inquiry before, during and after the jurisdictional issue in question is determined by the courts, specifically whether the Inquiry has the power to compel production of documents and messages which are unambiguously irrelevant to the Inquiry’s work, including personal communications and matters unconnected to the government’s handling of Covid.”

It added: “We consider there to be important issues of principle at stake here, affecting both the rights of individuals and the proper conduct of government.

“The request for unambiguously irrelevant material goes beyond the powers of the Inquiry. Individuals, junior officials, current and former Ministers and departments should not be required to provide material that is irrelevant to the Inquiry’s work.

“It represents an unwarranted intrusion into other aspects of the work of government. It also represents an intrusion into their legitimate expectations of privacy and protection of their personal information.”

Government seeks judicial review of legal order

Thursday 1 June 2023 17:17 , Jane Dalton

The Cabinet Office is seeking a judicial review of Baroness Hallett’s order to release Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages, diaries and notebooks, it has said in a letter to the Covid inquiry.

Sunak refuses to back down

Thursday 1 June 2023 17:05 , Jane Dalton

Rishi Sunak has refused to back down in the extraordinary row over the Covid inquiry’s demand to see Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and notebooks.

As the 4pm deadline passed, the prime minister appeared to maintain the Cabinet Office’s insistence on withholding the requested material, writes Adam Forrest:

Sunak refuses to back down in Boris WhatsApps row as deadline expires

How the two sides could end up in court

Thursday 1 June 2023 16:28 , Jane Dalton

If the Cabinet Office confirms the government refused to hand over the material by the Covid inquiry’s 4pm deadline, it means the two sides could be heading to court – despite Mr Sunak’s being warned the “cards were stacked” against the government.

The government could seek a judicial review, or the Covid inquiry could seek an order from the High Court, or even launch criminal proceedings in a magistrates’ court.

Legal deadline expires

Thursday 1 June 2023 16:05 , Jane Dalton

The deadline for the Cabinet Office to hand over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages, diaries and personal notebooks to the Covid-19 public inquiry has expired.

If the government has failed to comply with inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett’s order to disclose the documents, it could lead to a court battle and possibly a criminal offence.

Ministers could seek a judicial review of her order as the government has argued it should not have to disclose material that is “unambiguously irrelevant” to the inquiry.

Sunak refuses to rule out court action against Covid Inquiry

Thursday 1 June 2023 15:59 , Jane Dalton

Rishi Sunak has broken his silence over the 4pm deadline imposed by the Covid-19 Inquiry to hand over Boris Johnson’s WhatApps messages and notebooks.

The PM said the government remained “confident in its position” – but declined to say whether the material would be handed over.

Mr Sunak also refused to rule out court action to block the Covid Inquiry’s request.

Asked on his visit to Moldova if the deadline would be followed, the PM said: “It’s really important we learn the lessons of Covid ... We’re doing that in spirit of rigour but also of transparency and candour.”

He added: “The government’s cooperated fully with the inquiry to date, handing over tens of thousands of documents, and we will continue to comply, of course, with the law and cooperate with the inquiry.

“We’re confident in our position but are carefully considering next steps.”

Asked whether the government could go to court, Mr Sunak: “The government is considering very carefully next steps, but is confident in its position.”

Brexit was ‘historic economic error’, says ex-US Treasury chief

Thursday 1 June 2023 15:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Elsewhere, the former US Treasury chief Larry Summers has described Brexit as a “historic economic error” which has helped fuel high inflation in the UK.

The senior American economist also said he would be “very surprised” if Britain avoids a recession in through the next two years.

Mr Summers said Brexit and other policies means Britain’s economic woes are “frankly more acute than they are in most other major countries.”

“The UK economic policy has been substantially flawed for some years,” the former Treasury secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“Brexit will be remembered as a historic economic error that reduced the competitiveness of the UK economy, put downward pressure on the pound and upward pressure on prices, limited import goods and limited in some ways the supply of labour,” he said.

Mr Summers added: “All of which contributed to higher inflation.”

Adam Forrest reports:

Brexit was ‘historic economic error’, says ex-US Treasury chief

Letters to the editor: Boris Johnson is a liar and a ‘say anything’ fantasist. Where are the 40 new hospitals – and where is he?

Thursday 1 June 2023 14:30 , Eleanor Noyce

“Steve Barclay’s interview with Laura Kuenssberg confirmed – as if any confirmation were needed – that Boris Johnson, the architect of the fictitious Tory manifesto of the 2019 election that gave these greedy and anti-social people a massive parliamentary majority, is an unconscionable liar and a “say anything” fantasist. Where are the 40 new hospitals and where is he? Not doing the job of an MP the public pays him for.

He is bunking off on multiple holidays or lucrative lecture tours neglecting both parliament and his constituents with no such negligence in collecting the benefit of a publicly funded legal defence, his pay cheque or a future handsome pension. He also nurtures the traditional expectation of appointing cronies of similar merit to top up the already overstocked and unwieldy house of lords with more Tory icing; a convention and an institution that should, like himself, be consigned to history.”

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk:

Letters: Boris Johnson is a liar and a ‘say anything’ fantasist

In the tug of war over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages, who is likely to win?

Thursday 1 June 2023 14:00 , Eleanor Noyce

The chair of the inquiry into the government’s response to the pandemic, Baroness (Heather) Hallett, has extended the deadline she set for the Cabinet Office – and in effect for Boris Johnson – to hand over unredacted documents including 24 of Johnson’s notebooks, his diaries and his WhatsApp messages. Originally they were due by 4pm on Tuesday 30 May, but they must now be submitted by Thursday 1 June.

Both the Cabinet Office and Johnson are resisting handing over the complete set of papers and electronic data, on the grounds that some of the contents are not relevant to the inquiry.

The Tories’ civil war looks set to intensify as the pro-Johnson faction goes head to head with both the chair of the Covid inquiry and the current leadership, writes Sean O’Grady:

Who will win the tug of war over Boris’s WhatsApps?

Boris’s ‘ratty rat’ rage against Rishi Sunak could help bring the Tory government down - John Rentoul

Thursday 1 June 2023 13:29 , Eleanor Noyce

“Prime ministers tend to resent their successors, but Boris Johnson’s feud with Rishi Sunak is more poisonous than most. Johnson has not forgiven Sunak for resigning as chancellor and triggering the avalanche of ministerial resignations that swept him from office.

Relations were bad before then, although Sunak has never been explicit about what it was about their approaches to the economy that were “fundamentally too different”, which he said contributed to his resignation.

Since then, Sunak has tried to avoid open warfare, well aware that Johnson has strong support among the grassroots members of the Conservative Party. That attempt at de-escalation seemed to be working. Only one in five Tory members now say that Johnson should take over as prime minister again before the next election, according to a self-selected straw poll for Conservative Home.”

The prime minister is trying to avoid all-out war with his predecessor, writes John Rentoul:

Boris’s ‘ratty rat’ rage against Sunak could bring the Tories down | John Rentoul

Revealed: Damning note from Britain’s top civil servant that ‘doomed’ Liz Truss

Thursday 1 June 2023 13:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Meanwhile, Liz Truss was forced out of Downing Street by Britain’s top civil servant, it has been claimed.

The former prime minister, who lasted just 49 days in the job, was forced to resign in the wake of her disastrous mini-Budget. Tory MPs had turned on Ms Truss, calling for her to quit after her tax cuts sparked turmoil in financial markets.

But, according to a new account by one of her biographers, it was a note from civil service head Simon Case which “doomed” her premiership.

Archie Mitchell investigates:

Revealed: Damning note from Britain’s top civil servant that ‘doomed’ Liz Truss

The Covid inquiry has a fiendishly tough question on its hands: Can it trust Boris Johnson?

Thursday 1 June 2023 12:30 , Eleanor Noyce

“In her more than half a century-long career as one of the country’s most distinguished criminal lawyers, you have to suspect that the Covid inquiry chair Baroness Hallett has had to contend with rather trickier conundrums than the one she currently faces. Which is this: do you trust Boris Johnson?

This is the question that’s making life difficult in Downing Street, as well as in wherever Johnson himself is currently hanging out (he spent the weekend at a summer fete in Henley, where he continues to deny he intends to stand for election next year, a lie so ridiculous it’s barely even a lie, at least not on his scale). But it’s not, one has to think, making life very difficult for Baroness Hallett.”

Who would ever be a politician ever again if all of your private messages are just going to be sent to a public inquiry and then published, presumably to great embarrassment? Tom Peck writes:

Hands up if you trust Boris Johnson | Tom Peck

Government court action ‘increasingly likely’, says ex-legal chief

Thursday 1 June 2023 12:07 , Eleanor Noyce

Sir Jonathan Jones, the government’s former legal chief, has said it was “looking increasingly likely” that the Cabinet Office would seek a judicial review to try to block the Covid Inquiry’s request for Boris Johnson’s messages and notebooks.

Sir Jonathan, who said the option would be “fun”, said it was “difficult” to see how a compromise could be reached before 4pm.

He said the Covid Inquiry chair could bring criminal proceedings for failure to comply with the notice if the deadline passes at 4pm – but described the scenario as “pretty extraordinary”.

Labour suspends veteran MP over claims he sexually harassed junior colleagues

Thursday 1 June 2023 12:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Elsewhere, a long-serving Labour MP has been suspended over allegations he sexually harassed junior colleagues.

The party has launched an investigation over claims Geraint Davies gave five young female colleagues unwanted sexual attention, first reported by Politico.

The Swansea West MP has been administratively suspended from the party and had the whip removed pending the investigation.

Reporters spoke to more than 20 MPs and Labour staff who alleged a pattern of “excessive drinking, sexual comments and touching” by Davies dating back at least five years.

One former staffer alleged Mr Davies approached her, then aged 22, when she was “extremely drunk” before buying her a drink and suggesting they could go back to his flat. He then sent the woman a string of “sexually suggestive messages”, it is claimed.

Archie Mitchell writes:

Labour suspends veteran MP over claims he sexually harassed junior colleagues

Majority say Boris’ messages should be handed over

Thursday 1 June 2023 11:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Three in five (61%) say Boris Johnson’s unredacted diary entries and WhatsApp messages should be handed over to the Covid Inquiry, according to a new Savanta poll.

Seven in ten (71%) say it is likely Rishi Sunak would have known if Mr Johnson had broken further lockdown restrictions.

Almost half (44%) say Partygate matters just as much now as it did when Mr Johnson was PM; 26% say it matters more, 25% less.

A third (29%) say Mr Johnson believed he was following lockdown rules; 59% say he knowingly broke the rules.

Chris Hopkins of Savanta said: “If perceptions remain negative, or even get worse, it seems difficult for Sunak and the government to pivot away from the controversy without directly throwing Johnson and his allies under the bus.”

ICYMI: Sunak warned government faces embarrassing loss in ‘bizarre’ battle over Boris WhatsApps

Thursday 1 June 2023 11:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Rishi Sunak’s government has been warned it faces an embarrassing loss if it goes up against the Covid-19 inquiry in court over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages.

It came as calls grew for the material to be handed over by Thursday’s 4pm deadline, as the government continued to signal it would resist the demand from inquiry chair Baroness Hallett.

Sir Jonathan Jones, the government’s former legal chief, told The Independent that the “cards are stacked” against the Sunak government if the increasingly “bizarre” dispute goes to court.

“It’s a mess,” said the senior KC. “It’s likely the court will have to rule on it – it doesn’t seem either side is minded to back down. I’m not aware of any precedent for the government refusing to give information to a public inquiry it set up. It’s all pretty extraordinary.”

Adam Forrest and Kate Devlin report:

Sunak warned he faces embarrassing loss in ‘bizarre’ battle over Boris WhatsApps

Grant Shapps suggests government should hand over WhatsApps

Thursday 1 June 2023 11:17 , Eleanor Noyce

Cabinet minister Grant Shapps appeared to pile pressure on the government to hand over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps messages and notebooks to the Covid-19 Inquiry.

The energy secretary said the inquiry should be able to “get on with its job” and there was “nothing to be shy or embarrassed about” when it came to ministers’ discussions on the Covid crisis.

“I think it’s really straightforward – we have to let the inquiry get on with its job,” Mr Shapps told TalkTV when asked if he was happy as Mr Johnson to hand over his messages.

“We were all trying to do our best under some extremely complex, difficult circumstances. So there is nothing to be shy or embarrassed about. We simply did the best job we could under the circumstances.

“There are things that we did that were good. Things will have gone wrong, naturally. The inquiry is there to get to the bottom of all of that.”

Asked if the inquiry should have whatever they want from him, Mr Shapps said: “Whatever they want.”

What’s at stake in a legal battle over the Covid WhatsApps?

Thursday 1 June 2023 10:57 , Eleanor Noyce

“It seems inevitable that a judicial review will take place on the matter of whether the Cabinet Office can redact evidence demanded from the government by Baroness Hallett’s Covid inquiry. Boris Johnson has released his diaries, WhatsApp messages and other material unredacted – thus avoiding any possible criminal sanction for withholding or destroying evidence. How much of it Johnson wants the inquiry to see is unclear, but he seems content to allow the Cabinet Office to deal with it.

There is talk of a “cover-up”, in effect by Rishi Sunak, who it is suggested is conspiring to use government lawyers and the prestige of his office to prevent the disclosure of the material to the inquiry, even on a confidential basis.”

Now that Boris Johnson has handed the material requested by the Covid inquiry to the Cabinet Office, the ball is in Rishi Sunak’s court, writes Sean O’Grady:

What’s at stake in a legal battle over the Covid WhatsApps?

What happens if the government doesn’t hand over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps?

Thursday 1 June 2023 10:30 , Eleanor Noyce

The government looks set for unprecedented legal battle with officials in charge of the Covid public inquiry over the release of unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries belonging to Boris Johnson.

In a showdown over the ex-PM’s communications with 40 top officials, the Cabinet Office has until 4pm on Thursday to respond to the demand from Lady Hallett’s public inquiry into the Covid crisis.

The deadline has been extended from Tuesday, after officials claimed they do have all the documents demanded. The inquiry was told the Cabinet Office “does not have in its possession either Mr Johnson’s WhatsApp messages or Mr Johnson’s notebooks”.

Delayed deadline aside, there is little sign that Rishi Sunak’s government is willing to shift from its position that the department has no duty to disclose “unambiguously irrelevant” material.

Reports indicate that the government is “unlikely” to back down and hand over Mr Johnson’s material – worried about privacy issues and the precedent it would set for future ministers trying to discuss policy in confidence.

So what happens if the Sunak government refuses to comply? Could government officials be liable to criminal proceedings? Could Mr Sunak and his ministers themselves be in serious trouble?

My colleague Adam Forrest reports:

What happens if the government doesn’t hand over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps?

Tensions between Johnson and Sunak became ‘basically untenable’, says former head of comms

Thursday 1 June 2023 10:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Tensions between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak became “basically untenable” before the downfall of the former prime minister’s government, Guto Harri has claimed.

Mr Johnson’s former head of communications said Mr Sunak would not have “lasted the summer” if the government had not “imploded”.

On his Global Player Podcast Unprecedented, Mr Harri said tensions came to a head as Mr Sunak refused to cancel a planned increase in corporation tax.

“On that occasion, Rishi Sunak, dug in and refused to come up with a growth plan, refused to cancel the planned hike in Corporation Tax and insisted on hitting energy companies with a Windfall Levy, that Boris didn’t want to do,” he said.

Mr Harri added: “Had the whole government not imploded shortly afterwards, I doubt the Chancellor would have lasted the summer.”

Sunak government should hand over Boris material, says top Tory

Thursday 1 June 2023 09:41 , Eleanor Noyce

Tobias Ellwood has joined some senior Tories in calling for Rishi Sunak to sanction the handover of requested material – Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps and notebooks – to the Covid Inquiry.

Mr Ellwood told Sky News it was “right for the Cabinet Office to stall a little bit and ask questions about the validity of handing all this information over” but added: “I personally have faith in Lady Hallett, a formidable QC, to look at all the information.”

Asked if Mr Sunak should have the material handed over, Mr Ellwood said: “I think he should [hand it over] … I have faith in Lady Hallett, looking over all the information that Boris Johnson might provide and weeding out what’s necessary, what’s relevant, and publishing only that which is pertinent to the inquiry itself rather than everything else.”

Boris Johnson said he was 'epileptically bored with Covid’

Thursday 1 June 2023 09:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson said he was “epileptically bored with Covid” in an “almighty row” with Sajid Javid before the government ended free testing last April, it is claimed.

The former prime minister told Mr Javid Covid was no longer killing people, describing it as “a matter of stupendous irrelevance”, according to his then-head of communications.

Guto Harri said Mr Johnson wanted to channel the £2billion a month being spent on testing into infrastructure projects such as nuclear power stations, railways and wind farms.

But Mr Javid believed the country risked “disarming when the enemy is still lurking”, Mr Harri said.“There was an almighty row,” Mr Harri claimed in his Global Player podcast Unprecedented.

The former BBC journalist said: “Boris, at the time, declared himself ‘epileptically bored with Covid. What people are getting now is not killing them,’ he thought. ‘It’s a matter of stupendous irrelevance, as long as we have a good pair of eyes in the crow’s nest, so we will not miss another iceberg’.

“He carried the day on that occasion and saved a fortune. But that dream he had of channelling that money into new infrastructure, into nuclear power stations, offshore wind farms, railways, and all of that did not last because pretty soon, the UK, along with the rest of the world, was crashing out of Covid into a cost-of-living crisis.”

‘Political mistake’ to go to court, ex-Supreme Court chief warns Sunak

Thursday 1 June 2023 08:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Former Supreme Court justice Lord Sumption also said attempts to withhold the messages were likely to fail – saying he did not think the Cabinet Office’s arguments would “cut much ice” in the courts.

Lord Sumption said that under the law the “ultimate judge” of whether the material ought to be disclosed was the inquiry chair.

“I frankly can’t see the courts quashing her decision,” he told the BBC’s World At One.

Arguing that going to court would be a “political mistake”, he added: “They are not going to succeed in a judicial review so that all they will achieve in resisting is to make it look like they are hiding something.”

Senior Tory William Wragg, chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee, also urged the government to back down.

“If the inquiry requests documents and info – then whoever it has asked should comply,” he told the BBC.

Lady Hallett should decide what is relevant to inquiry, Lord Saville says

Thursday 1 June 2023 07:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Lord Saville, who chaired the official inquiry into Bloody Sunday, said Lady Hallett should decide what is relevant to the Covid-19 inquiry.

“I cannot see any downside in her as a very senior and respected judge seeing material that would otherwise be private,” Lord Saville said.

The former Supreme Court justice said if the government misses a 4.00pm deadline to hand material to Lady Hallett it could lead to a “rather expensive” judicial review. But Lord Saville said if it was deemed urgent, “courts could organise themselves to hear it within a matter of days”.

He told the BBC: “In my view, prima facie at least, it is Lady Hallett, she is in charge of the inquiry, one of her duties is to do a thorough job, and it is for her to decide whether something is relevant or not.

“If she looks at something and decides it’s not relevant, then there is no reason to publish it.

“If you are going to show it to somebody like Lady Hallett, I cannot think of anyone better placed to be able to form a judgement. And I cannot see any downside in her as a very senior and respect to judge seeing material that would otherwise be private.”

Boris Johnson urges Cabinet Office to hand over evidence

Thursday 1 June 2023 07:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said on Wednesday: “All Boris Johnson’s material - including WhatsApps and notebooks - requested by the Covid inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form.

“Mr Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the inquiry.

“The Cabinet Office has had access to this material for several months. Mr Johnson would immediately disclose it directly to the inquiry if asked.

“While Mr Johnson understands the Government’s position, and does not seek to contradict it, he is perfectly happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires.”

The request was made under section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005, and in a ruling last week, Lady Hallett rejected the argument that the inquiry’s request was unlawful and said the Cabinet Office had “misunderstood the breadth of the investigation”.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to our obligations to the Covid-19 inquiry.

“As such, the Cabinet Office alone has already provided upwards of 55,000 documents, 24 personal witness statements, eight corporate statements and extensive time and effort has gone into assisting the Inquiry fulsomely over the last 11 months.

“However, we are firmly of the view that the inquiry does not have the power to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is beyond the scope of this investigation.

“This includes the Whatsapp messages of Government employees’ which are not about work but instead are entirely personal and relate to their private lives.”

Deadline looms for government to hand over WhatsApps

Thursday 1 June 2023 07:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The government faces a deadline to either release Boris Johnson’s unredacted messages and diaries to the Covid-19 inquiry or face a legal dispute, with an extension due to come to an end on Thursday.

The Cabinet Office had claimed it did not have access to Mr Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and private notebooks ahead of an earlier deadline on Tuesday.

But the former prime minister said on Wednesday that the material has been handed over to the government, and he urged the Cabinet Office to pass the contents on to Baroness Hallett’s official inquiry.

The Cabinet Office has confirmed it has received the information from Mr Johnson and officials are looking at it, but has continued its objection to releasing “unambiguously irrelevant” material.

The inquiry, set up to examine the pandemic and the government’s response, has set a deadline of 4pm on Thursday to hand over the information, having granted a 48-hour extension on Tuesday.

The documents include text conversations between Mr Johnson and high-profile figures, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Whitehall officials hope that a compromise can be reached before the 4pm deadline to avoid the need for a damaging legal fight with the inquiry.