Boris Johnson's notebooks cause national security scare after sensitive material found
Boris Johnson's 25 notebooks from his time as Prime Minister have caused a national security alarm
Reuters
Boris Johnson's 25 notebooks from his time as Prime Minister have caused a national security alarm after "highly sensitive" material was discovered.
Government officials have advised that the sensitive information should only be viewed by people with the highest level of security clearance.
If the material is to be returned to Johnson, it must be “appropriately stored” in a secure location.
It comes after the privileges committee concluded that the former Prime Minister deliberately misled Parliament in its partygate probe.
Government officials have advised that the sensitive information should only be viewed by people with the highest level of security clearance
PAJohnson has asked his allies not to vote against the damning report amid claims that attempting to put up a fight would expose his lack of support among Tory MPs.
The Daily Mail confirmed earlier today that it had hired him as a weekly columnist.
The ministerial ethics watchdog accused Johnson of a “clear breach” of its rules after he informed them about the column half an hour before it was announced.
His notebooks remain at the centre of a legal battle between the government and the Covid public inquiry, ahead of a judicial review at the end of the month.
Baroness Hallett, the inquiry’s chairwoman, has demanded access to unredacted copies of his notebooks and WhatsApp messages so she can determine which parts are relevant.
However, the Cabinet Office has refused, leaving many Conservative MPs calling on the Government to demonstrate a greater commitment to transparency.
The Cabinet Office told the inquiry: “Some of the material in question may involve issues of national security and we appreciate the inquiry’s understanding of the need to treat sensitive material appropriately.
"We will continue to work with both Mr Johnson and the inquiry to ensure that any materials that may contain . . . security sensitivities are handled appropriately.”
Boris Johnson's diaries and WhatsApp messages have become the focus of the fall out between the former Prime Minister and the Government
PAA source close to Johnson insisted that there is “no national security-sensitive material” in the notebooks, describing them as “daily jottings from unclassified meetings”, according to The Times.
A spokesman for Johnson said: “The government has told Boris Johnson that it is in the process of returning the notebooks to him so they cannot be very concerned about their contents.
“The Cabinet Office has had access to this material for months [and] repeatedly advised it was acceptable for Boris to keep these notebooks, including when they visited his office to inspect them . . . there are no government documents in these books or any national security material taken away from No 10.”
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