Covid Inquiry Faces Legal Battle with Government over Access to Unredacted Documents

The Cabinet Office has already redacted some messages and is refusing to hand over others, claiming they are irrelevant.

The inquiry's senior lawyer, Hugo Keith KC, has expressed concerns that any redactions made by the government would slow down the inquiry and be "wrong in principle." The government has been given until the end of the week to state its position on passing on all documents to the inquiry in unredacted form.

The legal showdown between the government and the inquiry is expected to take place in around a month, with the government arguing that it should not have to hand over irrelevant messages to the inquiry.

Information Commissioner John Edwards has informed MPs that there is an "ongoing duty" for ministers to consciously assess the contents of their messages, including voice notes, and that there are criminal sanctions for failing to maintain or destroy records related to government business.