Boris Johnson has handed his unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks to the Cabinet Office and called for them to be given to the Covid Inquiry.
The former Prime Minister’s spokesman issued a statement saying: “All Boris Johnson’s material - including WhatsApps and notebooks - requested by the Covid Inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form.
“Mr Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the Inquiry.
“The Cabinet Office has had access to this material for several months.
“Mr Johnson would immediately disclose it directly to the Inquiry if asked.
“While Mr Johnson understands the Government’s position, and does not seek to contradict it, he is perfectly happy for the Inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires.
“Mr Johnson cooperated with the Inquiry in full from the beginning of this process and continues to do so.
“Indeed, he established the Inquiry. He looks forward to continuing to assist the Inquiry with its important work.”
The move piles pressure on the Cabinet Office, which has been given until 4pm tomorrow to hand over all material requested by inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett.
Cabinet Office sources confirmed the information had been received and it was being examined by officials.
Earlier, senior lawyers suggested the row was heading for a courtroom showdown amid a bitter legal clash.
Before it was announced the ex-PM's documents had been submitted, the Cabinet Office was continuing to resist Baroness Hallett's demand - and claimed it did not even have Mr Johnson’s evidence.
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Experts signalled the deadlock could end in court if ministers trigger a judicial review - or Baroness Hallett takes legal action to prise out the documents.
Sir Jonathan Jones, former permanent secretary of the Government Legal Department, said: "So far, there's not much sign of either side backing down - they've really taken diametrically opposed views on the question of whether this material should be produced.
"Certainly one plausible outcome is that the Government itself goes to court to challenge the notice, and to clarify whether the inquiry has the legal power to insist on the provision of all this material; that could happen.
"I can't see how there's any other way of resolving it unless one party or the other backs down or there's some kind of compromise, and that doesn't look very likely at the moment.
“So the only other way of resolving it is for a court to rule whether this is a valid notice whether the inquiry is entitled to demand this material, and, if so, making it clear what the obligation of the Government is."
Former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption warned the Government it would lose any legal challenge because the Inquiries Act gave Baroness Hallett the power to demand the documents.
"If she concludes it is in the public interest that something within her terms of reference should be disclosed, I frankly can't see the courts quashing her decision," Lord Sumption said.
“I don’t think the Cabinet Office’s line will cut much ice either with the inquiry or with the courts if they try to quash her decision on judicial review.”
The Government has denied claims of a “cover-up” as the deadline to surrender material.
A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "We are firmly of the view that the inquiry does not have the power to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is beyond the scope of this investigation."
Cabinet Minister Mel Stride insisted: “Certainly the government has absolutely nothing to hide and, in fact, over the last few months, we've released 55,000 different documents, I believe eight witness statements and corporate witness statements to the inquiry.
“There is this issue over the request for various WhatsApps from various individuals, which is a matter for the individuals and also for the Cabinet Office.
“I wouldn't want to be trying to sort of prejudge where all of that will land, but other than to say that the Government totally gets the importance, and that's why we set up this inquiry, of getting to the bottom of the important lessons there are to learn from what happened.”
Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Rivka Gottlieb spokeswoman said: “The Cabinet Office has run out of excuses.
“These messages need to be handed over immediately, there is no need to wait for tomorrow’s deadline.
“This evidence could save lives in the future and whoever is sitting in the Cabinet Office scheming these plans to stop the Inquiry from accessing it should reflect on families like mine, whose messages from the same period include our last words to our loved ones.”
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Cabinet Office leaders have run out of excuses and must now hand over any and all evidence requested by the Covid Inquiry rather than continuing doomed legal battles to conceal the truth.
“If other ministers are hoping to hide behind the same smoke and mirrors tactics to dodge public scrutiny by the Inquiry, it is increasingly clear they don’t have a leg to stand on.”
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