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Covid inquiry has no plan to sanction Boris Johnson over missing messages

Bereaved families have called for action against the former prime minister, who claims he can’t unlock his old phone

By Ruby Lott-Lavigna
Covid inquiry has no plan to sanction Boris Johnson over missing messages
Former PM Boris Johnson. The official Covid inquiry has no plans to sanction Johnson for missing a deadline to hand over his old WhatsApp messages | Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images
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The UK’s official Covid inquiry has no immediate plans to take further legal action against the Boris Johnson for failing to hand over his WhatsApp messages, openDemocracy understands.

Families of the bereaved say the inquiry “must be prepared to take legal action” against Johnson if his WhatsApps are not disclosed in their entirety.

Under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act, individuals must hand over any evidence demanded by the chair, with the failure to do so a criminal offence.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0