Analysis: From f***ing clowns to Covid policy, WhatsApps are giving us a valuable insight

Messages released to the UK Covid Inquiry are providing a key glimpse behind the scenes

For many people in Scotland, the revelation that Nicola Sturgeon described Boris Johnson as a “f***ing clown” during the height of the coronavirus pandemic won't put much of a black mark against her name. Quite the opposite in fact.

To the surprise of precisely no one, WhatsApp messages between the former first minister and her then chief of staff, Liz Lloyd, show neither were fans of Mr Johnson’s Downing Street operation.

"This is f**king excruciating,” wrote Ms Sturgeon as the ex-Prime Minister addressed the nation in late October 2020. “His utter incompetence in every sense is now offending me on behalf of politicians everywhere.”

Humza Yousaf departs the UK Covid inquiry. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

All very amusing. But the most revealing stuff was elsewhere.

For one thing, Ms Lloyd’s WhatsApp messages – which formed part of her evidence to the UK Covid Inquiry – call into question the Scottish Government’s position that it did not routinely use the app for decision-making. This has been its repeated response in the face of criticism over ministers and officials deleting messages.

In a statement posted on social media over the weekend, Ms Sturgeon, who failed to retain any of her own pandemic WhatsApps, wrote: “To be clear, I conducted the Covid response through formal processes from my office in St Andrews House, not through WhatsApp or any other informal messaging platform.”

But messages between the former first minister and Ms Lloyd show the pair discussed Covid rules and appeared to make decisions on the back of this. There is no denying that these exchanges relate to government business.

Other messages will provide ample ammunition for the SNP’s political foes.

In November 2020, Ms Lloyd messaged her boss expressing frustration over the planned winding down of the UK Government’s furlough scheme. “My reason for setting a timeline for them to answer us on furlough is purely political – especially as we expect the answer to be no, it looks awful for them, and creating that kind of pressure could possibly result in a yes (though agree we shouldn’t bank on it). Think I just want a good old fashioned rammy so can think about something other than sick people.”

Ms Lloyd told the inquiry that this related to a time when the Scottish Government wanted to apply restrictions but was being hindered by decisions down south. “I’m looking for a public spat with a purpose,” she explained. “Public spats could often deliver results. If public pressure on the UK Government was there, it had been shown in the past that they would sometimes change their mind if they felt that pressure, and what I want them to do is change their mind.”

Critics say it is evidence of SNP ministers and their advisers politicising the crisis.

The WhatsApp messages provided by Ms Lloyd span a period of about six and a half months, from August 31, 2020 to March 16, 2021. Her messages from the preceding months were not retained. “I regret not being able to give the inquiry those messages,” she said. “I thought I had them, and they’re not there.”

The first few months of the pandemic were obviously crucial. There were big moments such as the resignation of Catherine Calderwood, the former chief medical officer, who was caught breaking Covid rules to visit her holiday home in Fife.

This period was also when the controversial decision was taken to move hospital patients into care homes. For many campaigners, the missing messages will be a source of huge frustration.

But at least Ms Lloyd provided some. Humza Yousaf, the First Mininster, apologised to the inquiry for the Scottish Government’s “frankly poor handling” of requests for informal messages. He has instructed an “external review” into its use of messaging apps.

Mr Yousaf initially told the inquiry, via a submission from the Government, that he had deleted his WhatsApp messages “after a month” for cyber security purposes, as per his understanding of official policy. He then managed to recover them on an old mobile phone, making this statement somewhat puzzling.

The First Minister’s messages make for revealing reading, too. In one exchange in November 2021, the then health secretary appeared confused about Covid mask rules. He asked Jason Leitch, the national clinical director, if he needed to wear a mask when standing talking to people at an event.

"Officially yes,” Mr Leitch replied. “But literally no one does. Have a drink in your hands at ALL times. Then you’re exempt.”

If the health secretary couldn’t grasp the rules, what hope had the public? Mr Yousaf told the inquiry the restrictions were “complex” at times, and Mr Leitch was “casual” in his language. He could “overspeak”.

In another message from June 2020, Mr Yousaf told John Swinney, the former deputy first minister, that the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) – which represents rank and file officers – was a “disgrace”, adding: “Right through this pandemic they have shown an arrogance and retrograde thinking.” One of the senior figures in the SPF, David Hamilton, has since become the Scottish Information Commissioner. Awkward.

Elsewhere, Mr Yousaf called a former Labour MSP an “a***hole” and a “tw*t”.

More importantly, messages show Mr Yousaf expressing frustration over Ms Sturgeon’s apparent reluctance to apply more restrictions in the later stages of the pandemic. These offer an insight into the internal debates that fed into decision-making.

In May 2021, Mr Leitch – an apparently keen user of WhatsApp who deleted his own messages – even appeared to take a dig at Ms Sturgeon’s leadership style. "There was some first minister 'keep it small' shenanigans as always,” he told Mr Yousaf. "She actually wants none of us."

Mr Yousaf told the inquiry there were times the former first minister “needed a tighter cast list”.

Ms Sturgeon will give evidence on Wednesday. Her failure to retain her own WhatsApps has already sparked fierce criticism. Given the insights provided by those that do exist, we can only speculate on what might be missing.