A government convened inquiry, led by a well-respected judge, Lady Hallett, cannot be trusted to decide what is materially relevant to its investigation. Rishi Sunak’s cabinet office refuses to hand over evidence to Lady Hallett’s team without blocking out chunks of it. The stand off is such that the government is taking its own inquiry to court, so that a different judge can decide.
Boris has played a blinder. He has given his diaries, emails and phone messages, totally unredacted, to the Cabinet Office, passing a toxic parcel firmly into their hands. Of course, his current phone only dates from the point the inquiry was put in place. His previous phone’s number was published on a list accessible to the public. He was advised it was a security hazard, to turn it off and never turn it back on again. To add to the pressure, Boris has offered to send everything directly to Lady Hallett “if that helps”.
The legal challenge is on the question of who decides what is relevant and the principle of privacy. Having set the inquiry’s remit and appointed Lady Hallett themselves, you’d expect the government to lose on the the issue of relevancy. The » Continue Reading.
