Boris Johnson says he has handed his unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks to the Cabinet Office – and even called on the Government to “urgently disclose” the material to the Covid-19 inquiry.
The Cabinet Office had claimed it did not have access to Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and private notebooks, which were demanded by inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett.
Ministers have so far objected to the release of “unambiguously irrelevant” material.
The inquiry has set a deadline of 4pm on Thursday to hand over Mr Johnson’s messages, notebooks and official diaries, having granted a 48-hour extension on Tuesday.
A spokesman for Mr Johnson said all the material requested by the Covid inquiry had been handed to the Cabinet Office and should be disclosed to Baroness Hallett.
“All Boris Johnson’s material – including WhatsApps and notebooks – requested by the Covid inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form,” the spokesman said on Wednesday.
“Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the inquiry”.
But questions have been raised over whether the evidence will be as complete as Johnson is letting on.
Isabel Oakeshott, the journalist who turned over Matt Hancock, posted that the former PM had at least two phones and that she has seen messages to two different numbers.
It has yet to be disclosed whether he submitted both sets of records.
One would hope he has!