Nicola Sturgeon branded Boris Johnson a 'f***ing clown' in WhatsApp messages to aides during Covid

Nicola Sturgeon branded Boris Johnson 'a f****** clown' in WhatsApps to aides during Covid.

The foul-mouthed rants by the then-First Minister were revealed in the latest hearing of the official inquiry into the pandemic.

Ms Sturgeon was exchanging messages with chief adviser Liz Lloyd on October 31, 2020 as Mr Johnson was announcing another national lockdown.

She swiped that his address to the country was 'f****** excruciating', describing the UK Government's communications as 'awful'.

She also told Ms Lloyd: 'His utter incompetence in every sense is now offending me on behalf of politicians everywhere.'

Ms Lloyd said she was 'offended' on behalf of special advisers everywhere.

Ms Sturgeon replied: 'He is a f****** clown.'

Giving evidence to the inquiry, which is sitting in Edinburgh as it covers the Scottish government's response, Ms Lloyd also denied that a decision about guest limits on weddings during the pandemic was made 'on the hoof'.

The former chief of staff was shown messages exchanged on September 22, 2020, where Ms Sturgeon said: 'We haven't thought about weddings.'

Nicola Sturgeon (pictured at Holyrood) branded Boris Johnson 'a f****** clown' in WhatsApps to aides during Covid

Ms Sturgeon was exchanging messages with chief adviser Liz Lloyd on October 31, 2020 as Mr Johnson was announcing another national lockdown

Mr Johnson at a Covid briefing in Downing Street in February 2021

Ms Lloyd responded to Ms Sturgeon, advising they should 'just leave it' because the Scottish Government had 'just put them (numbers of guests) up'.

A briefing which had been due to take place that day at 12.10pm was moved to 2.20pm, and the decision made on wedding and funeral numbers was to keep them at 20.

Junior counsel to the inquiry Usman Tariq asked Ms Lloyd: 'Is this not an example of a decision that was made very much at the last minute over WhatsApp between you and Nicola Sturgeon?'

Ms Lloyd said she did not view this as making a decision because the decision had already been made in Cabinet.

She told the inquiry keeping numbers able to attend weddings the same was 'more coherent' than changing them following her discussion with Ms Sturgeon.

Ms Lloyd said a decision taken to change numbers would be 'on the hoof' but 'sticking with a decision already taken was more coherent'.

Mr Tariq also asked Ms Lloyd if she and Ms Sturgeon had a 'particularly close' relationship, to which she replied: 'Certainly, yes.'

He then asked: 'Is it fair to say you were one of her closest confidantes?'

Ms Lloyd answered: 'Yes, I would say so.'

Ms Sturgeon will appear at the inquiry next Wednesday. She has come under fire for deleting her WhatsApps from the pandemic - although she insists that she was following Scottish government policy and all official business was properly recorded.

Current First Minister Humza Yousaf is giving evidence to the inquiry this afternoon amid ongoing scrutiny over messages exchanged by ministers and officials during the pandemic.

Ms Sturgeon was exchanging messages with chief adviser Liz Lloyd on October 31, 2020 as Mr Johnson was announcing another national lockdown