During the announcement of a second Covid lockdown in October 2020, Nicola Sturgeon referred to Boris Johnson as “a clown” and expressed dissatisfaction with his incompetence, stating, “His utter incompetence in every sense is now offending me on behalf of politicians everywhere,” according to evidence presented at the UK Covid inquiry in Edinburgh.
Sturgeon criticized the UK government’s communication strategy as “awful,” highlighting the perceived superiority of her government, stating, “we don’t get nearly enough credit for how much better than them we are.” This revelation unfolded during the ongoing UK Covid inquiry‘s second week.
In response to questions about the apparent breakdown of the relationship between Sturgeon and Johnson, Sturgeon’s former adviser Liz Lloyd noted that the term “broken down” might overstate the nature of their relationship.
Evidence emerged suggesting detailed decision-making on pandemic restrictions through WhatsApp messages, contradicting Sturgeon’s claim that she did not conduct her government’s Covid response through informal messaging. The messages, including discussions on wedding attendance and a potential quarrel with the UK government over furlough policy, were presented by Lloyd, described as Sturgeon’s “thought partner.”
The inquiry’s junior counsel, Usman Tariq, highlighted that these messages were the first provided by anyone involved in the Scottish government’s pandemic response to the inquiry. Questions were raised about the public’s understanding of decision-making processes if such messages were deleted. Lloyd clarified that while the public might not see the reflection, they would know the advice.
Lloyd’s testimony follows previous revelations about senior officials deleting informal messages, triggering concerns about transparency. Sturgeon clarified that while she did not retain messages, the inquiry has relevant messages, insisting she conducted the Covid response through formal processes, not informal messaging.
Regarding the deletion of messages, Lloyd suggested that Sturgeon may have thought, “Liz is taking care of it,” emphasizing that important information was recorded officially. She expressed unfamiliarity with the policy among Scottish officials suggesting regular deletion of informal messages.
Lloyd was also questioned about an exchange with Sturgeon expressing frustration and a desire for a “good old-fashioned rammy” with the UK government over extending furlough to Scotland in November 2020, which she explained as an expression of frustration about the pandemic management at that time.
She said: “There were a lot of things in Covid the UK government did or didn’t do and we just let it go. I felt the issue of furlough was materially important to the handling of the pandemic – it was a hindrance to our ability to handle the pandemic.”
