Ministers could be set for a legal battle with the Covid-19 inquiry over the requested release of unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries belonging to Boris Johnson.The Cabinet Office has until 4pm on Tuesday to respond to the request from Lady Hallett's official inquiry.There has so far been little sign that ministers are set to shift from the position that the Government has no duty to disclose "unambiguously irrelevant" material.The row was sparked by a legal request sent by the inquiry on A

Ministers could be set for a legal battle with the Covid-19 inquiry over the requested release of unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries belonging to Boris Johnson.The Cabinet Office has until 4pm on Tuesday to respond to the request from Lady Hallett's official inquiry.There has so far been little sign that ministers are set to shift from the position that the Government has no duty to disclose "unambiguously irrelevant" material.The row was sparked by a legal request sent by the inquiry on April 28 for a number of materials, including unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries belonging to the former prime minister between January 2020 and February 2022.In May the Cabinet Office pushed back against the request, which was made under section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005 and which also applies to messages from former adviser Henry Cook.In a ruling last week, Lady Hallett rejected the argument that the inquiry's request was unlawful and claimed that the Cabinet Office had "misunderstood