‘WTF Do We Do?’: Read Boris Johnson's Wild Leaked COVID WhatsApps

An extraordinary series of private WhatsApp messages apparently from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have been published by his former chief adviser Dominic Cummings.

Screenshots of WhatsApp messages, published on a blog by Cummings, reveal private conversations between himself and senior political figures – including the Prime Minister – at the start of the COVID pandemic.

On the 27th of March last year, Johnson called UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock “totally fucking hopeless,” in response to a message on lack of testing.

In an exchange over ventilators on the same day, Johnson said, “It’s Hancock. He has been hopeless.”

A month into the pandemic, Johnson wrote, “On PPE it’s a disaster.”

Further messages published by Cummings apparently show Johnson considered sacking Hancock. On the 27th April he wrote, “I can’t think of anything except taking Hancock off and putting [Cabinet minister Michael] Gove on.”

The Prime Minister added, “Wtf do we do?”

Last month, Cummings appeared before MPs to give evidence regarding the UK’s response to COVID, revealing damning information about his former colleagues’ actions, including claiming Johnson wanted to be injected on live TV with coronavirus. 

Wednesday’s blog further paints a picture of a government in chaos, struggling to procure PPE or organise mass testing infrastructure. It also underlines a claim denied by politicians, that the government initially intended to implement “herd immunity.”

Hancock has remained the UK’s Health Secretary throughout the pandemic. The UK government is yet to comment.