Moulton: Covid Review Tried to Gag Me

Journalist Paul Moulton has accused the Covid review of trying to prevent him and others investigating matters relating to the way the government handled the pandemic.

Mr Moulton has today released a video outlining his issues with Kate Brunner KC’s review, as well as ongoing issues with the government and freedom of information requests.

In the video posted on his Isle of Man TV Youtube channel, Mr Moulton said that he was contacted by Ms Brunner on Sunday July 23 and that she told him ‘she was concerned that her Covid Review was in danger of collapsing because several witnesses (mostly non-government) were pulling out over recent events surrounding me [Mr Moulton]’.

He added: ‘She explained it was in the interests of the review if I stop pursuing the “toned down” story and pressing for the FOI answer.‘

This relates to information contained in a presentation given on Friday, March 13, 2020, by then medical director Dr Rosalind Ranson that was ‘toned down’ before being presented to the Council of Ministers the following Monday (March 16).

At the time of these emails being released, after an FoI request by Mr Moulton in August, the DHA said the phrase ‘toned down’ used by DHA chief executive officer Dan Davies ‘appears simply to have been a poor choice of words’.

In emails released by Mr Moulton, Ms Brunner said on July 23: ‘I am grateful that we have been able to have a frank discussion: one of the advantages of the review process is that it gives me the flexibility to try to find practical solutions to procedural issues as they crop up, without the formality of a court hearing.

‘As you know, my focus is on protecting the integrity and effectiveness of the review and so all I can do is urge you to bear the review’s work in mind in your decision-making and public commentary.’

There are also emails from an unnamed person who say they are offering Mr Moulton some form of legal advice where they suggest that Ms Brunner’s words and a potential press release could be seen as her silencing Mr Moulton and suppressing press freedom.

These emails were relating to a press release issued by the Covid review team on July 29 which came about as a result of Mr Moulton being issued with a legal letter from Callin Wild in relation to claims made by Mr Moulton about three senior civil servants.

In the press issued on July 29, Ms Brunner and her team said: ‘My continuing request of Government and the media is to remain mindful of the fact that I am in the middle of conducting an Independent Review about a very sensitive period in IOM recent history.’

In the draft press release shared with Mr Moulton ahead of this, clear reference is made to a request that ‘journalists delay investigation into what happened in relation to Government decision-making over the weekend of 13-15 March 2020 until after I have reported’.

That draft release added that Ms Brunner had spoken to Mr Moulton directly.

It said: ‘I have directly requested that he delay his investigation and commentary on that weekend until after I have reported. I relayed the position above to him. I made clear that I had no legal powers to stop his investigation and that I respect the freedom of the press, but that recent events and social media activity was affecting my review.

‘Mr Moulton has kindly agreed that it is in the public interest that he delays further investigation and commentary, and to await my report, and I am grateful to him. I am reporting this communication with his agreement’

In his video published on Monday, Mr Moulton pointed to this himself and said: ‘After taking legal advice from my team I told Kate Brunner that I still refused to be gagged or to stop pursuing the FOIs which had provoked such a vicious legal attack from government. 

‘Kate Brunner has never publicly acknowledged that she had made several attempts to gag and shut me up.  So, I get why Dr Ranson has concluded that Kate Brunner’s Covid Review is a sham and has refused to lend it legitimacy through her participation.’

Access

Mr Moulton later states that on August 9 2023 he submitted a subject access request for all emails, messages and notes for the period July 9 to August 9 involving Chief Minister Alf Cannan, deputy CM Jane Poole-Wilson and Caldric Randall with Kate Brunner KC and Richard Wright KC in which the words Paul Moulton, PM, Moulton and IOMTV are mentioned.

He said: ‘We are now in November, and I am still waiting. If there is nothing to hide and there were genuinely no communications amongst government and Kate Brunner about me, then the natural and honest course of action would be for the Cabinet Office to comply with its statutory duty to answer the DSAR.’

We have contacted the Covid Review team for a response to Mr Moulton’s video and the files he released, which can be seen on his Isle of Man TV Facebook page.

They acknowledged receipt of this at 10.16am on Monday morning, but at the time of publication no reply has been received.