The Cabinet Office has lost its legal bid to stop the UK Covid-19 Inquiry from releasing Boris Johnson's unredacted WhatsApp messages, notebooks and diaries. Baroness Heather Hallett ordered the release of the documents in her role as the inquiry's chairwoman.
But the Cabinet Office argued that the documents were "unambiguously irrelevant" and it should not have to hand them over. In a ruling on Thursday, Lord Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Garnham dismissed the claim for judicial review, but said the Cabinet Office could make a different application to Lady Hallett.
Lawyers for the government department argued last month that the inquiry does not have the legal power to force minister to release documents and messages that cover matters “unconnected to the Government’s handling of Covid”. Hugo Keith KC, for the inquiry chairwoman, said that allowing the Cabinet Office to decide what was relevant would "emasculate this and future inquiries”.
