Ministers in the UK could be set for a legal battle with the official Covid-19 inquiry over the requested release of unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries belonging to Boris Johnson.
The Cabinet Office has until 4pm today to respond to the request from Lady Heather Hallett's official inquiry. There has so far been little sign that ministers are set to shift from the position that the government has no duty to disclose "unambiguously irrelevant" material.
The row was sparked by a legal request sent by the inquiry on 28 April for a number of materials. These include unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries belonging to the former prime minister between January 2020 and February 2022.
In May, the Cabinet Office pushed back against the request, which was made under section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005 and which also applies to messages from former adviser Henry Cook.