Poison death files blocked by Priti Patel
PRITI Patel kept documents from an inquiry into the death of novichok victim Dawn Sturgess.
In July, then-Home Secretary Ms Patel signed a restriction notice “without consultation”, a pre-inquiry review heard.
Andrew O’Connor KC, counsel to the inquiry, added in the Royal Courts of Justice that a judge should have decided what material could be heard.
But he said the restriction was a limited measure.
Another hearing is planned for March.
Ms Sturgess, 44, died after being exposed to the nerve agent used to attack spy Sergei Skripal in 2018 in Salisbury, Wilts.
The full inquiry is expected to begin in 2023.