Johnson and Cummings sent ‘disgusting and misogynistic’ WhatsApps during COVID pandemic, ex-chancellor claims

Published

1 year ago

October 27, 2023

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Boris Johnson and his former adviser Dominic Cummings sent “disgusting and misogynistic” WhatsApp messages that will be released by the COVID inquiry next week, George Osborne has claimed.

The former Tory chancellor said he understands that some “pretty astonishing and frankly, shocking” messages will be made public when Mr Cummings gives evidence at the hearings at the end of the month.

Speaking on the Political Currency podcast, Mr Osborne said the messages “will show people just what a complete nightmare it was” to work in Downing Street during the pandemic and “potentially some things that are going to cause some real problems for individuals who were in charge at the time”.

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Pressed for details by his co-host Ed Balls, he said he had to “be careful here because it’s a judicial inquiry”.

But he added: “From what I understand, there are some pretty staggering things that have been said on those WhatsApp messages by not just by Boris Johnson, but key advisers like Dominic Cummings, really, pretty disgusting language and misogynistic language.

“But I think that’s all I can say because I’ve already appeared once before the COVID inquiry and I don’t want to appear again before it.”

Mr Johnson and Mr Cummings have not commented on the claims.

A string of embarrassing messages have already been released to the inquiry, including how Mr Johnson described long COVID as “b*******” and that his wife, Carrie, had been described as “the real person in charge” by the head of the UK’s civil service.

Mr Cummings has said he is due to give evidence on October 31.

He was Mr Johnson’s closest aide when the pandemic hit, and the government was forced to defend him after he drove to County Durham beauty spot Barnard Castle during the first lockdown.

He left Downing Street in November 2020 following infighting in No 10 and has since become a fierce critic of the former prime minister, suggesting he was indecisive in the response to coronavirus.

The COVID inquiry began this summer and has so far heard evidence from Mr Osborne and ex-prime minister David Cameron – who were grilled on the impact of their austerity programme on the NHS and its ability to plan for a pandemic.

The first part of the inquiry looked at the UK’s resilience and preparedness for a pandemic while the second part, which started this month, focuses on “core decision making and political governance” and will also see Mr Johnson give evidence.

As part of the inquiry, key decision makers – including ministers, former ministers and senior civil servants – have been asked to disclose communications, including those through informal channels such as WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams or Signal.

Separately, it emerged this week that the “majority” of WhatsApp messages shared among Scottish Government officials during the pandemic may have been deleted.

Jamie Dawson KC – the lead counsel in the Scotland module of the inquiry – told the hearing on Thursday that “although WhatsApps appear to have been used to send messages relating to and surrounding key decisions by some members of Scottish Government, the majority of the messages have not been retained by witnesses”.

Mr Dawson went on to say there is a “lack of certainty” around what materials are held by the government and its officials, where it is held, and what can be recovered, and the inquiry has sought more information about the circumstances in which the messages were not retained.

The UK government was taken to court after it refused to hand over Mr Johnson’s messages to the inquiry, stating the messages were irrelevant.

However, the high court ruled against the cabinet office, stating it was up to Baroness Hallett, the chair of the inquiry, to decide whether the material was relevant or not.

Lady Hallett has said she is “very concerned about the difficulties” in obtaining the messages from the Scottish government, and she “will not hesitate” to use “statutory powers” at her disposal to obtain the relevant information.

Politics

Meticulous planning and soft power: How Starmer secured wins for the UK at Trump meeting

Published

31 mins ago

February 28, 2025

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Inside the Oval Office with Donald Trump and Keir Starmer

“Relieved is an understatement”.

That’s how one senior government figure described their mood as the prime minister, his foreign secretary and the Number 10 team left the White House having cemented Sir Keir and President Trump’s personal relationship; secured a commitment to NATO; the prospect of a trade deal that could spare the UK from tariffs and the presidential nod on the Chagos deal.

That gives you a sense of just how much was at stake going into talks with a president that has heaped criticism on many old allies in recent weeks.

That the Starmer-Trump meeting went as well as it did is proof, say those around the prime minister, of how much legwork and meticulous planning has gone into pulling it off.

The work began in opposition with Keir Starmer calling President Trump after the assassination attempt, while his foreign secretary courted vice president JD Vance.

There was the dinner in Trump Tower in September and, ever since then a prime minister who has swerved any personal or public criticism of the president.

When the visit was confirmed, the Number 10 team war-gamed all the possibilities with the prime minister, I’m told, going through all the detail and planning with aides to “make the most of the visit”.

They came out feeling that all the pieces fell into place with wins for the UK on trade and a “special” Keir Starmer coming through talks with President Trump that you could have a positive relationship with President Trump.

There were a few factors that helped the prime minister.

The first was the president’s genuine love for the UK and Sir Keir’s team’s understanding that President Trump is driven by personal relationships.

Get that right and much of the rest falls into place, say those who have seen him up close.

Sir Keir Starmer, the ponderous lawyer, has I’m told also built a genuinely warm relationship with President Trump: “They genuinely like each other and find each other easy to speak to,” is how one observer put it.

Then came the deployment of soft power.

I was in the Oval Office when the prime minister procured a personal letter from his jacket pocket from the King inviting President Trump for a second state visit.

Mr Trump was genuinely delighted as he read the letter, marvelled at King Charles’s signature and pointed out that this was the first time in history that anyone had been afforded such an “incredible” honour.

The prime minister also brought something to the table for a president that loves a deal.

The decision to lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 went down extremely well on Capitol Hill with Republicans and signalled to President Trump that the UK was an ally that had heeded his message on defence spending.

There were wins too.

Keir Starmer’s deal to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, where the US has a critical military base, to Mauritius, was backed by President Trump, a hugely welcome moment for a PM who has been heavily criticised about the deal back home.

And when I asked the president about his sharp remarks on EU tariffs – he said the union had been constructed to “screw” the US on trade – he told me he’d been having problems with the EU bit was in a “very different place” with the UK.

“I have a great warm spot for your country,” President Trump told me before the talks.

Afterwards, he told reporters at the press conference in the East Wing of the White House that there was a “very good chance” of a trade deal in which tariffs were not necessary.

Of course, there is a long way to go, but against a backdrop of a president threatening tariffs on a number of countries, that was a big win for the PM.

But if going out of this short visit was a story of trade, going into it was a focus on security guarantees for Ukraine.

Sir Keir said securing a backstop for European peacekeepers in Ukraine is the only way to contain President Putin.

On this, President Trump was rather more noncommittal, stressing that the priority was to do the deal first and that the mineral agreement he is poised to sign with President Zelenskyy on Friday should be deterrent enough.

On Sunday, the PM will host 18 leaders in London to discuss what to do next.

Ultimately, Europe will need to know that the US has its back on Ukraine – the PM didn’t come away from the Trump meeting assured of that yet.

Although, the message for more NATO investment was heard loud and clear again, with an expectation from the British camp that more commitment on defence spending from Europe will be required by President Trump as part of any backstop deal.

What is clear coming out of this meeting is that Sir Keir and the UK could genuinely become the bridge between the US and Europe as the deteriorating relationship between Brussels and Washington offers Sir Keir the opportunity to take the centre stage.

After a bumpy start to his premiership, the prime minister has found in his endeavour on Ukraine, a means to show leadership – and perhaps a way to win doubtful voters back around.

He has managed to find a way with President Trump. Sunday’s summit is his next test as he brings together President Zelenskyy with fellow European leaders to try to hammer out a plan to support any peace deal.

Starmer was an unlikely war footing leader.

But he is finding a way.

Politics

Arizona crypto reserve bills inch closer to law after passing Senate

Published

4 hours ago

February 28, 2025

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Arizona crypto reserve bills inch closer to law after passing Senate

Arizona’s Senate has advanced a Bitcoin reserve bill, bringing it to second place behind Utah in a race between US states to get a crypto investment bill approved.

The Arizona Senate passed the Strategic Digital Assets Reserve bill (SB 1373) on its third reading on Feb. 27 with a vote of 17 for and 12 against. It now advances to the state’s House.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Mark Finchem, would create a “Digital Assets Strategic Reserve Fund” administered by the state treasurer that would consist of money appropriated by the legislature and crypto seized by the state.

The treasurer can’t invest more than 10% of the total fund deposits in any fiscal year but may loan digital assets from the fund to generate returns if it doesn’t increase financial risks to the state.

“[Whether] you like it or not, legislation will happen at the federal level in this order: Stablecoins, Market Structure, and Strategic Bitcoin Reserve,” Satoshi Action Fund founder Dennis Porter said in a Feb. 28 X post.

Another Bitcoin reserve bill is also making its way through Arizona’s Senate. The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act (SB 1025), co-sponsored by Republican Senator Wendy Rogers and Representative Jeff Weninger, also passed the Senate’s third reading on Feb. 27 with a vote of 17 for and 11 against.

The Rogers and Weninger-sponsored bill focuses on investment authority for public funds to invest in crypto assets, while the Finchem-sponsored bill establishes a specialized fund for seized digital assets and appropriated funds.

There are currently 18 US states that have crypto reserve bills pending Senate votes, while two — Arizona and Utah — are in the final stages of the approval process.

State crypto investment bills have been rejected in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Pennsylvania.

*The status of crypto reserve-related bills. Source:* *Bitcoin Reserve Monitor*

Bitcoin reserve proposals are gaining support across the US thanks to President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto policies.

Bitcoin, meanwhile, has tanked 17% over the past seven days as it struggles to keep gains due to economic uncertainty over Trump’s sweeping incoming tariffs.

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