Boris Johnson: Downing Street denies WhatsApp row with Covid Inquiry is a ‘cover-up’

No 10 has denied the row over the disclosure of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and notebooks to the Covid inquiry is a “cover-up”.

Responding to criticism from former head of the civil service Lord Kerslake, and asked whether there was a “cover up”, Rishi Sunkak’s official spokesman said: “No. We want to learn the lessons about the actions of the state during the pandemic, we want that to be done rigorously and candidly.”

No 10 has said there is no requirement to retain every WhatsApp message after the Cabinet Office told the inquiry it does not hold all of the messages requested surrounding Mr Johnson.

Suggesting the Cabinet Office had assessed Mr Johnson’s messages without keeping them, the PM’s official spokesman said: “We do not permanently store or record every WhatsApp.”

“The substantive and relative content, including decision making, is copied across to the official record in appropriate format for preservation. We wouldn’t, as is standard, retain irrelevant material. There’s no requirement to record every single communication for the public record.”

The Liberal Democrats accused the government of using a “dog ate my homework” excuse after the Cabinet Office claimed it does not have copies of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages.

Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “This dog ate my homework type excuse from the government simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

“For the Cabinet Office to simultaneously refuse to disclose Boris Johnson’s messages because they were irrelevant to the inquiry, whilst claiming not to even have them, will raise suspicions of another Conservative cover up.

“Rishi Sunak is too weak to stand up to Johnson and make him hand over this evidence, while bereaved families are being left aghast.

“The public has waited long enough already to get the truth. The inquiry’s work mustn’t be delayed any longer because of endless chaos in the Conservative Party.”

Ministers are engaged in a “cover up” by refusing to hand Boris Johnson’s unredacted messages and diaries to the Covid enquiry, the former head of the civil service has said.

Lord Kerslake said officials are attempting to “save ministers embarrassment” by not handing over the documents.

If ministers block the request to turn over official records, which show what was happening at the heart of government during the pandemic, the department faces being dragged to court.

Former treasury minister John Redwood said ministers using WhatsApp to conduct government business showed “a sort of sloppiness”.

Mr Redwood added that he hoped the row over what information the government disclosed does not detract “from the really serious purposes of this inquiry”.

He told GB News: “There has to be an agreement, the public will want reassurance that the inquiry can have all relevant information. And the Cabinet Office and the ministers and senior officials involved will obviously want to make sure that details of their private lives or comments that aren’t really relevant to the inquiry are protected from wider public view.

“One of the problems with the WhatsApp generation is that they seem to blur private observations, bits of their private life and their public duties, so there may well be things on their WhatsApp strand that are relevant to the inquiry.

“But there would also be things that people wouldn’t normally want to publish more widely. So I think there is a sort of sloppiness in the way that some things were handled.”

He added: “I hope it doesn’t detract from the really serious purposes of this inquiry. Which should be to explore how prepared was the NHS for this kind of thing? Could you be properly prepared for it?

“Did they respond quickly when they saw what was happening? How good was the science, how much diversity of thought was there in the science? Did ministers have the right information coming to them to make those very difficult decisions?

She warned that “dozens” more people could face investigations if the police decide to launch a fresh inquiry into alleged Covid breaches at Chequers.

Nicknamed “the Gazelle” for her elegant 6ft stature, Ms Watson worked alongside Mr Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings – and, like her colleague, she was fired by Mr Johnson.

No 10 has suggested there is nothing to stop Boris Johnson handing his personal evidence directly to the Covid-19 inquiry.

Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said: “It is down to individuals to decide what personal information they are able to hand over, but there is a process for the government-owned material.”

“There’s a distinction between government-owned material, that would need to be disclosed by the government, if it was their own personal information, then obviously they are able to make a judgment.”

Suggesting the Cabinet Office had assessed Mr Johnson’s messages without keeping them – keeping only those deemed to be relevant enough to be stored and therefore “government owned”.

The PM’s official spokesman said: “We do not permanently store or record every WhatsApp.”

“The substantive and relative content, including decision making, is copied across to the official record in appropriate format for preservation. We wouldn’t, as is standard, retain irrelevant material. There’s no requirement to record every single communication for the public record.”

Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson are not scheduled to meet this week after suggestions they would hold clear-the-air talks amid a series row over the Covid-19 inquiry and Covid diary details handed to the police.

It is understood there had been initial discussions about holding a telephone call, but this is not scheduled to go ahead as it stands.

Downing Street has denied the row over the disclosure of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and notebooks to the Covid-19 inquiry is a cover-up to save ministers’ blushes.

Responding to criticism from former head of the Civil Service Lord Kerslake, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “No.

“We want to learn the lessons about the actions of the state during the pandemic, we want that to be done rigorously and candidly.”

A spokesman for Matt Hancock re-confirmed that the former health secretary has given the inquiry full access to his WhatsApps, text messages and emails.

“Matt has made all his records and materials available to the inquiry without making any redactions for relevance.

“Matt feels very strongly that full transparency is vital so all lessons can be learned,” the spokesman added.

Mr Hancock offered the inquiry his materials directly, but was asked to submit them through the Government Legal Department.

He has since sent his materials to the department without redactions.It is understood Mr Hancock wants everyone to submit all of their WhatsApps, diary entries and other messages to the inquiry to ensure the right lessons are learned from the government’s handling of the pandemic.

“He thinks everyone should give them all up,” a friend said, adding that Mr Hancock is “all about transparency”.

The Covid-19 Inquiry has said that if the Cabinet Office still maintains its position that it does not hold Boris Johnson’s material when the 4pm on Thursday deadline arrives, it must provide in substitute a “witness statement” from a senior civil servant to that effect.

The inquiry said the statement must include a “chronology of correspondence with Mr Johnson, or his office, regarding the identification of potentially relevant WhatsApp materials held by him”.

The Cabinet Office statement must also explain whether the potentially relevant messages held by Mr Johnson are on a personal, or Cabinet Office or No 10 mobile phone.