Cabinet Office accused of cover-up over Covid messages and notebooks

The Cabinet Office claims not to have the WhatsApp messages or 24 notebooks, but Johnson's allies say the material was given to government-appointed lawyers.

The Cabinet Office is refusing to hand over unredacted versions of Johnson's correspondence and documentation, claiming it does not have the WhatsApps or 24 notebooks in its possession.

The government-appointed lawyers have reviewed the unredacted material, but the Cabinet Office is still considering legal action to prevent it from being handed over to the inquiry.

The situation has raised questions about a potential cover-up, with some accusing the Cabinet Office of trying to save embarrassment for ministers.

Johnson was reported to police last week over potential evidence of lockdown-breaking parties in his diaries, and the prime minister and his predecessor were set to have peace talks this week over the Covid inquiry and Johnson's long-awaited peerages list, but the call has been cancelled.

The Cabinet Office is advising that the inquiry into UK's exit from the European Union does not have the power to request access to all documents, raising the prospect of legal arbitration and a potential judicial review.

The inquiry is seeking access to Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages and notebooks, but the Cabinet Office says it does not have these materials and will provide a witness statement instead.

The inquiry is also asking about correspondence with Johnson or his office regarding the identification of potentially relevant materials.

The inquiry wants to know if the Cabinet Office has had access to the requested materials and if the messages are on a personal device or a government one.