In a startling revelation, it has come to light that crucial decisions during the pandemic were made through Whatsapp groups comprising ministers and officials.
These groups were established by the government and counted prominent figures such as Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock, and Dominic Cummings among their members.
Joining them were key players like Lee Cain, Mr. Johnson’s communications chief, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.
The existence of three significant group chats has emerged just ahead of the initial hearings of the official inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic, which is set to commence next week.
Disagreement between Baroness Hallett and Cabinet Office over withheld WhatsApp messages in the inquiry.
While a former Tory health minister downplayed the significance of these Whatsapp Groups, suggesting they were used for trivial matters like discussing coffee preferences for meetings, Lord Bethell dismissed the notion that major decisions were made via the app, asserting that it was impossible.
One of the group chats, titled “CSA/CMO/Matt/PM/Dom,” was created in March 2020 and consisted of seven members, as reported by The Times.
Notable figures present included the prime minister, health secretary, Cummings, Cain, Sir Chris, Sir Patrick, and the current cabinet secretary.
Another group, named “No 10/DHSC/Covid-19,” was established a month earlier and had over 30 members.
Additionally, a third group called “CMO/CSA/No 10/Taskforce” was formed in August 2020, comprising Sir Chris, Sir Patrick, Mr. Case, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Cain, and Henry Cook, an advisor whose unredacted correspondence is being withheld by the Cabinet Office from the inquiry.
Baroness Hallett is expected to reprimand the government for its refusal to provide the requested messages on Tuesday.
In response, the Cabinet Office is seeking a judicial review to determine the relevance of the materials being withheld.
Allegations have been made by Mr. Johnson’s allies that Mr. Sunak is withholding messages due to concerns that they may expose plots against the former prime minister or embarrassing details about the ex- chancellor’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.
However, a source close to Mr. Sunak vehemently denies these claims, stating that the prime minister rarely uses WhatsApp.
Gavin Barwell, the former chief of staff at No 10, criticized Mr. Sunak’s decision to pursue legal action against the Covid inquiry, suggesting that it raises suspicion about the government’s motives for protecting the messages.
Lord Bethell dismissed the significance of WhatsApp messages in the decision-making process during the pandemic.
According to him, most of his WhatsApp conversations revolved around coffee orders. He emphatically stated that important decisions were not made over WhatsApp and refuted any suggestion to the contrary.
He further explained that the WhatsApp groups he participated in primarily focused on sharing data from recent developments.
Expressing support for the judicial review challenge, Lord Bethell emphasized the necessity of clear guidelines to navigate the vast amount of WhatsApp messages, ensuring that personal discussions are appropriately handled without compromising transparency.
