The independent inquiry into the UK government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic was announced two years ago by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with public hearings not starting until mid-month and the inquiries will be led by a former Supreme Court judge . must be extended for another three years. But that doesn’t mean jobs aren’t already a headache for current head of government, Rishi Sunak.
At issue are the WhatsApp messages exchanged between Johnson and three dozen ministers and other officials during the pandemic. The government censored the communications, opting to pass on only the information it deemed relevant and cutting out what was “plainly irrelevant” to the investigation. But Baroness Heather Hallett, who is leading the inquiry, wants to be the one to decide, having demanded the full messages – in addition to the former prime minister’s diaries and notebooks, whose management of the pandemic has been widely criticized for delays in acknowledging the severity of the situation.
The government had until Thursday to pass on the information, but chose not to resort to justice to block its disclosure. In a letter to Hallett, the Cabinet Office (the government department responsible for supporting the prime minister and his cabinet) claimed that there are “important issues of principle” at stake that “affect both the rights of individuals and the good conduct of affect the government”. “. And he defended that those responsible “should not be required to provide material that is not relevant to the work of researchers”. In practice, they fear the precedent this could set, but they have been accused of trying to obstruct the investigation and experts say they have little chance of winning the case.
But Johnson, who has a complicated relationship with Sunak – the resignation of the then finance minister was one of the reasons for the fall of his government – did not wait for any decision from the judiciary. And this Friday, he decided to send all WhatsApp messages he has access to directly to the researchers. “While I understand the government’s position, I’m not prepared to let my material become a test case for others if I’m thrilled the research sees it,” wrote the former Prime Minister to Baroness Hallett.
Johnson handed over the messages from his mobile phone he had already given to the Cabinet Office, after asking to also hand over his notebooks to which he no longer has access. He also said he would be happy to provide the material contained on his old mobile phone, which he was forced to stop using for security reasons in May 2021 – when it was revealed that his number had long been in the public domain. 15 years. The former head of government said he asked authorities for “help” to “reconnect that mobile phone safely” and “find all relevant material” and send it directly to investigators.
That cell phone will carry exactly the messages from the beginning of the pandemic, the most critical moment when Johnson was accused of devaluing the disease. The UK initially defended the idea of seeking herd immunity, before finally deciding to restrict it, with Boris Johnson himself having to be hospitalized after contracting covid. In total, more than 200,000 people have died in the UK after testing positive for Covid-19.
The study, which Johnson announced in May 2021, aims to find out how prepared the country was for a pandemic and analyze the government’s response, to try to understand whether the loss of so many lives was inevitable or whether different actions would have had a different result. . The public hearings, at which the former prime minister is expected to give his testimony, will begin on June 13 and are expected to last for years.
But what do the messages say? The British top man is accused of being “controlled by WhatsApp”, a messaging platform (which belongs to Meta, the company that also owns Facebook) and where it is easy to communicate with another person or groups. Johnson’s messages are not public knowledge, but they can be embarrassing – not only for him, but also for those with whom he has exchanged them.
This is reviewed by more than 100,000 messages from former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, which came to light after he shared them with a journalist who helped write his memoir – and who decided to pass them along to a newspaper. Including messages with groups in which the prime minister was also present. In one, in June 2020, Johnson tells Hancock that he is “going crazy” with the lack of testing. Another message shows the Prime Minister’s confusion between the death rate and the death rate.
In addition to criticism for how he initially responded to the pandemic, Johnson has come under fire for partying in Downing Street during the lockdown – the so-called party gate , which contributed to his resignation. In addition to the fines he had to pay for the events, a parliamentary committee is still assessing whether or not the then prime minister lied to deputies (conclusions are expected this summer).
Source: DN
