The story begins with a series of text bubbles, green or white. In these messages, perfect mise-en-abîme of what will follow, the british newspaper The Daily Telegraph This week reveals Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp conversations with members of his government, in particular Health Minister Matt Hancock, during the onset of the Covid-19 crisis in 2020.
Confinements, tests, masks, school closures… With these 100,000 messages obtained, and collected under the name of “Lockdown files“, the newspaper promises to report on the government’s attitude to the pandemic, and severely questions the reactions of the various British leaders, sometimes very light, or contrary to scientific recommendations.
In these messages, we discover, among other things, the mockery of the Minister of Health at the time Matt Hancock, on the behavior of everyone: “There are still 149 people who have chosen to enter the country and who are now self-quarantined.” Or this message, from his team, which questions whether it is possible to confine in particular Nigel Farage, founder of the Brexit Party dressed up as a “advertising hooligan”.
A feeling of lightness
Beyond these mockeries, we discover behind the scenes of certain political decisions, which, in view of the messages, of which Boris Johnson denies the veracity, give the impression of decisions taken in a very political interest, far from the priorities of the medical profession. .
According to these documents, the Minister of Health did not take into account the recommendations to systematically test retirement homes, although he was informed as of April 2020 of this medical necessity. Four months later, the number of deaths in these places climbed to 17,678.
Matt Hancock also allegedly tried to circumvent Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to close schools in December 2020, describing teachers’ unions as “absolute ass”. The UK government is also said to have changed its policy on face masks in schools in August 2020, in particular to… avoid a row with the Scottish government.
Johnson weakened
Boris Johnson is said to have probed UK chief medical adviser Chris Whitty about the possibility of confining only those over 65… based on a press article suggesting it. More seriously, in one of the messages, the Prime Minister himself fears having announced a second confinement… on the basis of data that the experts considered, at the time of these exchanges, to be false.
These messages question the ability of the British government to manage the Covid-19 crisis and relaunch the independent investigation which was launched, when Boris Johnson had already been the subject of strong criticism in the past, leading to his resignation. The Prime Minister had participated and organized several parties during the first British confinement.
The case also raises the question of the communication channel favored by British leaders, faced with a major public health crisis. “In the United Kingdom, can we govern on WhatsApp?”, Headlined in particular the newspaper International mailauthor of a press review on these new revelations.