claims against the government — there's one coming up being brought by the government against the halletnvolving covid—19 — that should be televised, no problem at all. the view taken by the judges is that where there are witnesses involved, it's difficult enough giving evidence in court in the first place, but the idea that people might be able to watch your evidence and talk to overnight if, as happened in the case of prince harry, your evidence extends over a second day. you know, you go home and somebody goes, "i saw you on the television, why didn't you say that?" or "you didn't do very well". and so the balance has been struck that appeals can be televised generally, but trials cannot. and i suppose in prince harry's case, there might also have been a legal argument that given the whole case is about media intrusion, it would be inappropriate to then allow cameras in as well. yes. i mean, he knows perfectly well that every word he said was being recorded, written down, transcripts can be made available, acted out as as you've indicated by an actor and reported in real time. but act

lady hallet insisted people will be at the centre.nquiry has not suffered evidently recognise the loss. i hope that they will understand when they have seen the results of the work we are doing, that i am listening to them. this art of that i am listening to them. this part of the _ that i am listening to them. this part of the inquiry _ that i am listening to them. this part of the inquiry will focus on the uk's preparedness for the pandemic. it will hear from the uk's preparedness for the pandemic. it will hearfrom experts, including scientists and politicians. this morning, hugo keith qc told the hearing that the uk was taken by surprise by significant aspects of the disease. and even at this stage, before hearing the evidence, it is apparent that we might not have been very well—prepared at all. it is absolutely clear now, with hindsight, that the disease was spiralling out of control. but to what extent was that possibility foreseen, landfall guarded against? the inquiry, which will take several years, will be split into several

it was interesting that lady hallet looked visibly moved.s when the inquiry in earnest really started. this was the factual side of it. today the focus is on preparedness. we had the lead lawyer for the inquiry. preparedness. we had the lead lawyer forthe inquiry. he preparedness. we had the lead lawyer for the inquiry. he was saying that the uk was taken by surprise by this. he asked certain questions like, did brexit take the focus away from planning? will be too busy focusing on a flu pandemic to think about covid? we have also heard from the lawyer for the bereaved families who said government planning was complacent, and that meant that when it came to reality, the government was making it up as it went along. i have to say, listening to some of those quotes does give you the chills, and it is a reminder of the human toll that this pandemic played on so many people and a reminder that so many people died alone. you say there is the emotional, the factual, that we can't talk about this without talking about the political, as well? ila. t

claims against the government — there's one coming up being brought by the government against the hallethe judges is that where there are witnesses involved, it's difficult enough giving evidence in court in the first place, but the idea that people might be able to watch your evidence and talk to overnight if, as happened in the case of prince harry, your evidence extends over a second day. you know, you go home and somebody goes, "i saw you on the television, why didn't you say that?" or "you didn't do very well". and so the balance has been struck that appeals can be televised generally, but trials cannot. and i suppose in prince harry's case, there might also have been a legal argument that given the whole case is about media intrusion, it would be inappropriate to then allow cameras in as well. yes. i mean, he knows perfectly well that every word he said was being recorded, written down, transcripts can be made available, acted out as as you've indicated by an actor and reported in real time. but actually, the idea of people watching him around the world, that might be a bit much fo

in a letter to baroness hallet, he also says he'd like to do the same with material from a previous phone. the inquiry is due to begin public hearings in two weeks' time. 0ur political correpondent ione wells has the latest. the cabinet office just yesterday launched a judicial review, essentially a legal challenge to the covid inquiry saying they do not feel it is right for them to hand over what they have described as unambiguously irrelevant material. like those containing personal or private matters of ministers or officials so they have sought legal action against the covid inquiry. the covid inquiry has repeatedly said they think it's up to them to decide what materials relevant as part of their inquiry. the intervention by borisjohnson today is effectively him saying that he is willing to hand over the unredacted whatsapp messages which the covid inquiry had asked for it directly to the inquiry himself. he doesn't however have some of the notebooks which he had given to the cabinet office which they are also hoping to see in an unredacted form. he has asked the cabinet office to ha

in a letter to baroness hallet, he also says he'd like to do the same with material from a previous phonens. the inquiry is due to begin public hearings in two weeks' time. live now to our political correspondent ione wells. what is going on here? the inquiry has been asking for these details, these messages for quite a while. the government says no, now boris johnson says, i can hand it over and i will, and i johnson says, i can hand it over and iwill, and i have. johnson says, i can hand it over and i will, and i have.— iwill, and i have. slightly more computed. _ iwill, and i have. slightly more computed. in — iwill, and i have. slightly more computed, in fact, _ iwill, and i have. slightly more computed, in fact, in _ iwill, and i have. slightly more computed, in fact, in that - iwill, and i have. slightly more computed, in fact, in that he i i will, and i have. slightly more. computed, in fact, in that he has said he is engaging with the inquiry. i don't think he has actually handed over some of these messages just yet, but says that he intends to, and is in discussions about this. h

this is a power struggle between the l is a power struggle between the cabinet office and baroness hallet to that power struggle, the law is all most marginal to that powerstruggle, but the law is all most marginal to that power struggle, but if it does go to the high court as a judicial review and if you high courtjudge cannot inject some sensibility or sense of common sense into the process, the law is the chair of the inquiry has the power to compel anyone to provide documents that relate to a matter in question at the inquiry. johnson has set up the inquiry, a very wide remit, and it is difficult to think of anything that would not relate directly or indirectly to a master inquest that the inquiry. i think the high court is likely to find in favour of the inquiry itself. there is another wrinkle to this, in that the law also says that the chair can compel someone to produce any other thing in its custody or under his control, and the test of relation to the inquiry is not in that part of the act, so you could probablyjust get the phone itself even if there are problems with getting th

at 10am, baroness hallet will open.ossible pandemic that was run. in this scenario they said they were seven weeks into a flu pandemic and how did they handle it? the exercise found it did not think the country was ready for this and there were not enough ventilators. there are questions about what it did not find. it did not look at what could be done to stop this. these are questions to be asked over the next years because this will take three years. rishi sunak and his predecessor borisjohnson have ramped up their feud over the former prime minister 5 failed attempts to elevate several close allies to the house of lords. mr sunak accused his former boss of asking him to "overrule" the vetting advice on his house of lords nominations. but in a fiery statement, mrjohnson accused the prime minister of "talking rubbish". a man suspected of shooting dead a british schoolgirl in france has tested positive for both alcohol and cannabis, according to the french authorities. eleven—year—old solaine thornton was killed while s

claims against the government — there's one coming up being brought by the government against the halletprince harry's case, there might also have been a legal argument that given the whole case is about media intrusion, it would be inappropriate to then allow cameras in as well. yes. i mean, he knows perfectly well that every word he said was being recorded, written down, transcripts can be made available, acted out as as you've indicated by an actor and reported in real time. but actually, the idea of people watching him around the world, that might be a bit much for him, and the theory is that it's easier for him to give evidence calmly. all right, he's got a room full ofjournalists listening. he's got the judge listening. he's got the barristers on both sides. but to actually have a worldwide audience watching, that might make it more difficult for him. and after all, the important thing is for him to give evidence properly, fairly, calmly, accurately — and this would just be another strain on him or any other witness. flipping the point of view, in a sense, is there a case to say, g