Boris Johnson had opposed a government bid to block a COVID-19 inquiry accessing WhatsApp messages. (AP PHOTO)UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government must hand over potentially embarrassing WhatsApp messages sought by its own public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic after it lost a legal battle at London’s High Court.The United Kingdom’s Cabinet Office had refused to provide the WhatsApp messages concerning the government’s handling of the pandemic and other political issues last month, saying some of the material sought was “unambiguously irrelevant”.The inquiry’s chair Heather Hallett had asked the government to provide two years’ worth of messages, including from Sunak, former prime minister Boris Johnson and nearly 40 other senior figures and advisers.The Cabinet Office brought a legal challenge against the inquiry’s demand, arguing the request was too broad.Its lawyers said the messages contained some references to personal information and comments about identifiable government figures.But its case was opposed by Johnson, who had said when announcing the inquiry in 2021 that it must be “free to scrutinise every document”.The Cabinet Office’s challenge was rejected in a written ruling on Thursday.The government said it would comply with the decision.Judges James Dingemans and Neil Garnham said that requests for documents by public
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COVID-19 inquiry to get UK govt WhatsApp files: court – Goulburn Post
