The Conservative government, now led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, wants to be able to edit the letters before they are delivered, saying some of them are personal and unrelated to the investigation.
Some political parties in Britain criticize successive governments, due to the latter’s use of the WhatsApp messaging program for official business.
The political controversy over the legality of using these applications in official work intensified, after it was announced that the messages of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson used on WhatsApp had entered the investigations related to violating Corona procedures.
Thousands of letters exchanged during the pandemic between then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and government ministers, aides and officials form key evidence of the investigation headed by retired judge Heather Hallett.
The Conservative government, now led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, wants to be able to edit the letters before they are delivered, saying some of them are personal and unrelated to the investigation.
What is the investigation?
More than 200,000 people died in Britain due to Corona, recording the highest death rate in Europe, which raised questions about the role of the Johnson government in this tragedy.
Public hearings are scheduled to start on June 13 and continue until 2026, and the former prime minister and a group of senior officials are scheduled to testify.
The Meta-owned messaging service has become a favorite communication tool among UK government officials.
Former health secretary Matt Hancock, who helped lead Britain’s response to the virus, gave tens of thousands of his letters to a journalist who was helping him write his memoirs.
The reporter passed it on to a newspaper, which published the embarrassing details in a series of front-page stories.
Hallett asked to see letters exchanged between Johnson and more than thirty scientists and officials over two years from early 2020. She also wants to see Johnson’s notebooks and diaries from the same period.
What is the government’s position?
Sunak’s government, which took power after Johnson’s resignation amid scandals in mid-2022, argues that some of the messages are “unequivocally irrelevant” to the COVID-19 investigation.
It says its publication would be an “undue interference with other aspects of the government’s work” and with the “legitimate expectations of individuals regarding privacy and the protection of their personal information”.
Many lawyers believe that the government will lose the challenge. Under the terms of the investigation, initially agreed with the government, the judge has the power to subpoena evidence and to question witnesses under oath.
Johnson distanced himself from the government’s position by saying he was happy to deliver his messages.
