Watch live as the Covid inquiry continues for a fourth week as a court is expected to rule on the inquiry chairwoman’s request for Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages, notebooks and diaries on Thursday, 6 July.
The Cabinet Office has refused to hand over the former prime minister’s documents, claiming that such a request was “so broad” that it was “bound to catch” a large amount of irrelevant material.
High Court judges are expected to hand down their decision on of Baroness Heather Hallett’s order at 2.30pm today.
Mr Johnson gave his unredacted WhatsApp messages, diaries and 24 notebooks to the Cabinet Office in late May.
The former MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip has backed Lady Hallett, who rejected the argument that the material was irrelevant in a May ruling, in opposing the legal challenge over the request.
Today, the inquiry will hear evidence from Dr Denis McMahon, Permanent Secretary of the Executive Office of Northern Ireland, Reg Kilpatrick, Director of Local Government Department between 2011 and 2020 and now Director General of Covid Recovery and Local Government in the Welsh government, and Robin Swann, former Minister of Health in Northern Ireland between 2020 and 2022.
