Thread by @HenryRiley1

BREAKING

Covid Inquiry Chair Baroness Hallett says "As has been reported in the media, an issue has arisen between the Inquiry & Cabinet Office as to who decides what is relevant"

She confirms Cabinet Office invited her to withdraw her Section 21 notice, she declined.

@LBC

@LBC Speaking at the prelim hearing today, the former judge adds "They [The Cabinet Office] are challenging it in court... I can say no more about it"

Baroness Hallett makes it clear she will decide what is relevant to the inquiry, & she believes the Inquiries Act supports that

@LBC

NEW

The Inquiry has made almost 350 Rule 9 requests [written request for evidence]. Almost 100 more have been sent out - 38 to govt depts, 12 to Ministers (including Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Dominic Raab, Matt Hancock, Michael Gove, Penny Mordaunt & Kemi Badenoch)

BREAKING

The Covid 19 Inquiry says there are "more problems we have encountered"

Hugo Keith KC says there have been "repeated extensions to deadlines" & calls for govt departments to meet witness statement deadlines

"Further requests for extension are unlikely to be granted"

Hugo Keith, Counsel to the Inquiry, says:

The Inquiry has made request for "potentially relevant communications" sent via WhatsApp from almost 30 Cabinet Office witnesses

"There is a lack of certainty about what potentially relevant content is held by Cabinet Office"

@LBC

Mr Keith KC confirms

"We have received WhatsApp material from Mr Johnson and from 2 other individuals - and all that material has had redactions applied to some of the content"

@LBC

BOMBSHELL

Covid Inquiry takes aim at the Foreign Office

"We have very recently identified that the Cabinet Office is not alone... the Foreign Office has supplied to the Inquiry potentially relevant WhatsApps from 2 special advisers, with extensive redactions"

@LBC

Hugo Keith KC:

"May we make clear, we expect them [Foreign Office] to provide unredacted WhatsApp material without delay"

The Department of Health and Social Care "by contrast" has provided "much fuller disclosure" including Matt Hancock WhatsApps without any redactions

@LBC

Hugo Keith: We would invite the Foreign & Cabinet Office to "pay close regard to position adopted by the DHSC"

There is also a row about Google Spaces (me neither) used as "forum for key individuals to communicate", Cabinet Office missed deadlines & there were unanswered call

The same issue has now arisen with Google Spaces

"We maintain the Google Space material must be provided to inquiry without redactions and a relevancy review by the Cabinet Office"

Covid Inquiry worry this will "slow down the process"

@LBC

Hugo Keith KC confirms that on 1st & 2nd June the Cabinet Office supplied inquiry with copies of "potentially relevant" WhatsApps and Diaries - redacted.

They have also supplied 25 notebooks yesterday - but they haven't reached the relativity system.

@LBC

Hugo Keith: "We are grateful to Mr Johnson for his cooperation", they will be an inspection of Mr Johnson's unredacted WhatsApps expected this week

The Cabinet Office holds notebooks, Inquiry proposes these be returned to Mr Johnson by June 12 - Inquiry will then inspect

@LBC

On Boris Johnson's old phone (pre-May 2021) "neither Mr Johnson, nor the inquiry have the technical expertise to ensure the contents of the phone can be downloaded safely and properly"

This phone is now being downloaded by specialists in government.

@LBC

Cabinet Office legal costs will NOT be withheld from Mr Johnson, Hugo Keith KC confirms.

We will shortly gain access to all the material on an unredacted basis

@LBC