Nicola Sturgeon accused Boris Johnson of “utter incompetence” in private official WhatsApp messages seen by the UK Covid Inquiry.

The messages were exchanged between Sturgeon, then first minister for Scotland, and her chief of staff Liz Lloyd during Boris Johnson’s TV broadcast announcing the second national lockdown in October 2020.

Sturgeon wrote: “Their comms are behind [sic] awful. We’re not perfect but we don’t get nearly enough credit for how much better than them we are.”

A subsequent message read: “This is fucking excruciating – their comms are AWFUL. His utter incompetence in every sense is now offending me on behalf of politicians everywhere.”

Another said simply: “He is a fucking clown.”

The UK’s official Covid inquiry was shown the messages when Lloyd appeared before the inquiry today.

She was asked by Usman Tariq, counsel to the inquiry: “Is it fair to say that the relationship between Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson by this date had completely broken down?

Lloyd responded: “I think broken down to a degree overstates what was there to break.”

Attempting to engage with Boris Johnson by October 2020 was, she said, “slightly pointless”.

“It was evident in his exchanges with the Scottish government, with the first minister, and I think with the other first ministers [of other devolved nations] – because we would all be on the same call – that he didn’t want to be on those calls. He wasn’t necessarily well briefed on those calls, and he wasn’t listening to the points we were making on those calls,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd also described discussions that took place between Johnson and the leaders of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland around the lifting of restrictions in May 2020. She said it was clear he was “not informed and doesn’t want to be there”.

The UK’s Covid inquiry is currently focusing on how the Scottish government handled the crisis. First minister Humza Yousef will give evidence this afternoon.

The inquiry continues. openDemocracy is fundraising to pay reporters to cover every day of the public hearings. Please support us by donating here.