Today: 28 October 2025
7 July 2023
3 mins read

UK govt loses court battle over Johnson’s Covid WhatsApps

The material must now be handed to the inquiry by 4pm on Monday. The government said it will “comply fully” with the High Court judgment…reports Asian Lite News

The Cabinet Office has lost its legal bid to withhold Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks from the COVID-19 Inquiry.

Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett issued an order – known as a section 21 notice – for the government to release the former prime minister’s documents in May.

The Cabinet Office argued some of the content was “unambiguously irrelevant” and brought a judicial review against the notice.

But in a judgement published on Thursday, the High Court ruled while “some irrelevant documents” may be included in the material requested, that “does not invalidate the notice or mean that the section 21 cannot be lawfully exercised”.

It dismissed the Cabinet Office’s claim for judicial review, but said but said the department could make a different application to Baroness Hallett.

The material must now be handed to the inquiry by 4pm on Monday. The government said it will “comply fully” with the High Court judgment.

A spokesperson said: “The inquiry is an important step to learn lessons from the pandemic and the government is cooperating in the spirit of candour and transparency.

“As this judgment acknowledges, our judicial review application was valid as it raised issues over the application of the Inquiries Act 2005 that have now been clarified. The court’s judgment is a sensible resolution and will mean that the inquiry chair is able to see the information she may deem relevant, but we can work together to have an arrangement that respects the privacy of individuals and ensures completely irrelevant information is returned and not retained.”

Responding to the ruling, Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said: “While the rest of the country battles the cost-of-living crisis, Rishi Sunak has been wasting time and taxpayers’, money on doomed legal battles to withhold evidence from the COVID Inquiry.

“After this latest humiliating defeat, the prime minister must accept the ruling and comply with the inquiry’s requests for evidence in full.

Deborah Doyle, spokesperson for COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said the judicial review lodged by the government “was 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,” she said. “That means it needs to be able to access all of the evidence, not just what the Cabinet Office wants it to see. A successful inquiry could save thousands of lives in the event of another pandemic, and it’s a disgrace that the Cabinet Office is trying to obstruct it. Any attempt to appeal this decision or hinder its work further would be utterly shameful.”

In their ruling, Lord Justice Dingemans and Justice Garnham concluded Baroness Hallett had “acted rationally” when making her order.

Addressing the concern that unrelated material could be seen by the inquiry, the two judges noted that the Cabinet Office could make an application arguing “that it is unreasonable to produce material which does not relate to a matter in question at the inquiry” – and that it would be for the chair to “rule on that application”.

ALSO READ-Optimistic about FTA with India, says Lord Johnson

Previous Story

RMT announces strikes on Underground later this month

Next Story

Another Indian unicorn in deep crisis

Latest from -Top News

Gazans Struggle to Revive Life

Today, Gaza’s markets seem to awaken from beneath the ruins. Partially destroyed shops opened their doors amid streets littered with debris, while merchants attempt to arrange what remains of their goods on

GAZA AID: MSF raps Israel

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says Israel Continues to Use Aid as a Weapon of War Against Gaza Strip…reports Asian Lite News Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that despite the ceasefire agreement, Israel

Qatar Emir Meets Trump

HH the Amir welcomed HE the US President and his accompanying delegation, expressing his pleasure at meeting the President during his stopover in Qatar…reports Asian Lite News HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim

Abu Dhabi leads future of food innovation

Global Food Week 2025 cements Abu Dhabi’s leadership in food innovation, uniting 75 countries to showcase sustainable agriculture, cutting-edge technologies, and women-led enterprises driving future food security….reports Asian Lite News Global Food

UAE reshapes AI council

The newly reconstituted Council will be chaired by His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan serving as Vice-Chairman….reports Asian Lite
Go toTop

Don't Miss

UK and Lanka strengthen ties

The UK supports Sri Lanka in its environmental initiatives, building

Prince Faisal meets UK’s Raab in London

Both discussed bilateral relations and the latest developments in Palestine..reports