By seeking a judicial review, Rishi Sunak looks as if he has something to hide

The prime minister has constructed an elegant political trap for himself, thereby making the very worst of a delicate situation

Boris Johnson has said that if the government tries to redact his submissions, he will give the material directly to the inquiry (AFP/Getty)

We are in uncharted territory indeed when Boris Johnson is held up as an example of, to borrow Rishi Sunak’s phrase, “integrity, professionalism and accountability” in public life.

Mr Johnson, perhaps concluding that further resistance is futile in the face of the Covid inquiry’s indomitable chair Baroness Hallett, has handed over his WhatsApp messages, diaries and other materials to the Cabinet Office, which, sadly, is itself unwilling to send them in uncensored form to the inquiry.

Further, Mr Johnson has said that if the government, via the Cabinet Office, does indeed try to redact his submissions, then he will just give the material directly to the inquiry.