The government is objecting on the basis that it believes the inquiry is going beyond its powers by seeking “unambiguously irrelevant material”.The Cabinet Office says it will hand over redacted versions of the material in the meantime. It said there are “important principles at stake” in relation to individual rights and “proper conduct of government”.
Mr Johnson’s government ordered the inquiry in 2021 to look into the preparedness of the country as well as the public health and economic response after Britain recorded one of the world’s highest total number of deaths from Covid-19. Speaking at a summit in Moldova before the deadline passed, Mr Sunak said: “I think it’s really important that we learn the lessons of Covid so that we can be better prepared in the future.“We’ve co-operated, the government’s co-operated thoroughly with the inquiry to date, handing over tens of thousands of documents, and we will continue to comply of course with the law, co-operate with the inquiry.