Over to you, Rishi

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [The Independent]( June 01, 2023 [View online](   [Morning Headlines]( 1 /[Boris Johnson hands over his WhatsApps and urges Cabinet Office to give them to Covid inquiry]( [Boris Johnson]( has thrown down the gauntlet to [Rishi Sunak]( by handing over his unredacted WhatsApps and notebooks and urging the government to give them to the [Covid-19]([inquiry](. Heaping pressure on the prime minister ahead of Thursday’s 4pm deadline, the former Tory leader urged the [Cabinet Office to “urgently disclose” the material]( to Baroness Hallett’s inquiry. It comes as Mr Sunak’s government was warned that it would face an embarrassing defeat if it challenged the Covid inquiry in court in an effort to withhold Mr Johnson’s WhatsApp messages. Senior Tories also urged Mr Sunak to end the row, saying it would be “less painful” to back down and hand over the Johnson files to Lady Hallett’s team. A spokesperson for Mr Johnson said that “all” the material requested by the Covid inquiry “has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form”. The Cabinet Office has had “access to this material for several months”, the former PM’s spokesperson added, but they made clear that Mr Johnson had provided all the requested material to the government today.   2 / [Catalogue of failings in Home Office’s ‘flawed’ asylum system revealed in UN report]( UN Refugee Agency uncovers cases in which trafficking victims were missed and a child victim of sexual abuse was given no support 3 / [Al Pacino, 83, ‘expecting his fourth child’ with 29-year-old girlfriend]( Noor Alfallah is reportedly a month away from giving birth 4 / [Boy, 17, and girl, 12, die following incident off Bournemouth beach]( Police attended the beach off Bournemouth Pier on Wednesday after receiving a report at 4.32pm from the ambulance service requesting assistance 5 /[Man who murdered ex-girlfriend and tried to decapitate her in ‘savage’ attack jailed]( Dennis Akpomedaye stabbed Anna Jedrkowiak 40 times after she ended their relationship THE BIG QUESTION [The Covid inquiry has a crucial question to answer: Was Trump’s conspiracy actually right?]( The government looks set for unprecedented legal battle with officials in charge of the [Covid]( public inquiry over the release of unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries belonging to [Boris Johnson](. In a showdown over the ex-PM’s communications with 40 top officials, [the Cabinet Office has until 4pm on Thursday]( to respond to the demand from Lady Hallett’s public inquiry into the Covid crisis. The deadline has been extended from Tuesday, after officials claimed they do have all the documents demanded. The inquiry was told the Cabinet Office “does not have in its possession either Mr Johnson’s WhatsApp messages or Mr Johnson’s notebooks”. Delayed deadline aisde, there is little sign that [Rishi Sunak](’s government is willing to shift from its position that the department has no duty to disclose “unambiguously irrelevant” material. [For the full story click here]( £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   Watch /[Apocalyptic scenes as car drives through raging wildfires in Canada]( NUMBER OF THE DAY £5,000 – Houses in a [once-thriving UK seaside destination]( have been put on the market for just £5,000 [amidst claims it is now a “ghost town.”]( [Read more here]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “Europe is facing unprecedented threats at our borders.” – [Rishi Sunak]( will warn European leaders the continent is facing “unprecedented threats at our [borders](” as he calls for greater cooperation on illegal migration. 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