A former government lawyer said he believes it is likely that the legal impasse between the cabinet and the official Covid inquiry over the disclosure of evidence will eventually be decided in court.
Sir Jonathan Jones, former head of the government’s legal department, said there were “not many signs of either side pulling out” in the row over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and diaries about the pandemic.
When asked during an interview on Times Radio if he thought it was likely the row would end up in court, he said: “Well, I don’t see how there’s any other way to settle it unless, as I said, one side or the other pulls out or there is some kind of compromise, and that doesn’t seem very likely at the moment.
“So the only other way to resolve it is for a court to rule whether this is a valid notice, whether the investigation has the right to demand this material, and if so, to clarify what the government’s obligations are. or be someone else. , Boris Johnson or anyone else, what their obligations are to provide it.
(TagsToTranslate)Rishi Sunak
