Cabinet minister Grant Shapps appeared to pile pressure on the government to hand over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps messages and notebooks to the Covid-19 Inquiry by 4pm today or face a legal dispute.
The energy secretary said the inquiry should be able to “get on with its job” and there was “nothing to be shy or embarrassed about” when it came to ministers’ discussions on the Covid crisis.
“I think it’s really straightforward – we have to let the inquiry get on with its job,” Mr Shapps told TalkTV when asked if he was happy as Mr Johnson to hand over his messages.
The Cabinet Office had claimed it did not have access to Mr Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and private notebooks ahead of an earlier deadline on Tuesday.
But the former prime minister said on Wednesday that the material has been handed over to the government, urging the Cabinet Office to pass the contents on to Baroness Hallett’s official inquiry.
