Boris Johnson has severed ties with government lawyers supporting him during the Covid inquiry, with allies saying he had “lost faith” in the system after he was reported to police over fresh Partygate allegations.
The former prime minister said he was currently “unrepresented” and in the process of instructing new solicitors.
While Johnson is confident taxpayers will continue picking up the bill for his new legal team, he admitted in a letter to the Covid inquiry published on Monday that the Cabinet Office had yet to “agree funding and other practical arrangements”.
“I have no control over the timing of that process,” he added.
Johnson’s decision to stop relying on support from the government legal department shows the further erosion of relations between him and Whitehall. His allies have criticised the Cabinet Office for passing his pandemic diaries to two police forces over concerns about more potential rule-breaches during Covid.
The documents outlining visits by friends to Chequers between June 2020 and May 2021 were provided by Johnson to his government-appointed lawyers. But because the client was the Cabinet Office, it also received them.
Officials then decided that under the civil service code, they should refer the matter to the police.
Further documents are being requested by the Covid inquiry, including WhatsApp messages and 24 notebooks. The inquiry’s chair, Lady Heather Hallett, dismissed an attempt by the Cabinet Office to block having to hand over everything in full.
Johnson had sought to head off publication of a letter by the inquiry team, which confirmed Hallett’s decision. He asked them to wait 48 hours “for me to obtain legal representation and receive legal advice on your ruling” or publish his letter to put his concerns on the record. Inquiry officials decided on the latter.
In his plea to delay publication, Johnson said: “I am currently instructing new solicitors to represent me in the inquiry. That process is well under way but is in the hands of the Cabinet Office to agree funding and other practical arrangements. I have no control over the timing of that process.”
Johnson was said to have lost confidence in the objectivity of the Cabinet Office and its leadership – both ministerial and official – and believes some Conservative MPs feel the same way.
His allies believe it is in line with longstanding practice for him to carry on receiving public money to pay for his new legal team. A spokesperson for Johnson said: “We continue to cooperate fully with the public inquiry.”
