UK Government sends redacted Whatsapp messages to inquiry – The National

THE argument over transparency between the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and the UK Government has widened after the chairwoman heard that WhatsApp submissions from senior aides had been redacted. Hugo Keith KC said the Cabinet Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) had both submitted correspondence but had removed elements beforehand. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) had made a “much fuller disclosure”, he said. READ MORE: Margaret Ferrier given 30-day Commons suspension as by-election looms It follows a decision by ministers to start High Court action over chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett’s request for Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and notebooks to be handed over. Keith said witness statements had been requested from a wide range of political figures, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, along with former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, former health secretary Matt Hancock and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove. Leaders of the devolved administrations have also been issued with requests, including former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon (pictured below). Speaking during a preliminary inquiry hearing on Tuesday, Keith told Lady Hallett: “We have received WhatsApp materials from Mr Johnson and two other individuals. “And all that material has
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