What's happened
Scathing WhatsApp messages were shown during the Covid Inquiry, revealing criticism of Boris Johnson's handling of the Covid crisis.
Why it matters
The revelations from the WhatsApp messages are significant as they expose the discontent and criticism of Boris Johnson's leadership during the Covid crisis.
What the papers say
The Mirror highlights the scathing WhatsApp messages that portray Boris Johnson as a 'tragic joke' and 'Trump-level mad'. The Independent provides additional details on the messages, including criticism of Johnson's flip-flopping and chaos during the pandemic. The Independent also mentions other bombshell revelations from the inquiry, such as criticism of Rishi Sunak's restaurant scheme and a significant degree of misogyny at No 10.
How we got here
The Covid Inquiry is currently hearing evidence from Boris Johnson's former top advisers, including Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain. The WhatsApp messages were shown as part of the inquiry's investigation into the government's handling of the pandemic.
More on these topics
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Dominic Mckenzie Cummings is a British political strategist who has served as chief adviser to UK prime minister Boris Johnson since July 2019.
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Martin Reynolds CMG is a British civil servant, formerly ambassador to Libya, currently Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.
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Sir Patrick John Thompson Vallance FRS FMedSci FRCP is a British physician, scientist, and clinical pharmacologist who has worked in both academia and industry and, since March 2018, has been the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of the United Ki
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Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson Hon FRIBA is a British politician, writer, and former journalist serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since 2019.
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Lee Cain is a British former journalist who currently serves as Downing Street Director of Communications under Boris Johnson. Cain was appointed by Johnson on 24 July 2019, succeeding Robbie Gibb.
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WhatsApp Messenger, or simply WhatsApp, is an American freeware, cross-platform messaging and Voice over IP service owned by Facebook, Inc.