On Wednesday, Boris Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings released screenshots of WhatsApp conversations that he had with the prime minister where he described Matt Hancock as “f**king hopeless.”
In a series of posts that Cummings shared on Twitter and his blog, he and Johnson purportedly had several discussions about what they could do to stop the spread of coronavirus in the UK with Cummings being particularly critical of Hancock, a sentiment apparently echoed by Johnson.
92/ Hancock claimed to MPs a/ 'no PPE shortage', b/ 'everybody got treatment they needed'; c/ he was a heroic success on testing, d/ HMT hampered him on procurement, e/ 'protective ring around care homes'. His claims = false. Evidence here, more to come... https://t.co/lur4Ddrddy pic.twitter.com/WMGzpJjn0Q
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) June 16, 2021
The seriousness of the claims from Cummings could have serious ramifications in the government - but people couldn’t help but over analyse the messages between the pair.
Although Cummings, perhaps unsurprisingly, seems prone to sending essay-length messages, Johnson, in comparison, texts like a teenager and not a head of state.
Needless to say, people were more interested in talking about the PM’s texting habits than the actual content of the messages.
Why does Boris Johnson text like me texting my friends on plans to get drunk https://t.co/zdJaimasas
— bee ☽ (@_BEE2121_) June 16, 2021
Boris Johnson texting "wtf do we do?" "Ok brill" has spun me completely 😭😭😭 https://t.co/1kDYp9hKku
— Foreheadie one (@jimbo_lm) June 16, 2021
why do I find the thought of Boris Johnson texting "Wtf" and "brill" so upsetting? https://t.co/20uZ6UHzLk
— Ifan Llewelyn (@ifan_llewelyn) June 17, 2021
this is exactly how I text https://t.co/DLrA43neQT pic.twitter.com/7mdxOTAgV8
— Conner (@_connerbradshaw) June 16, 2021
“Ok brill am all ears !” https://t.co/fai1gGPmxO pic.twitter.com/pNo0zFM7J2
— Big Disinfectant (@UmmarWhosayn) June 16, 2021
This is a fucking parody come to life. https://t.co/KSBfnskI45
— My name’s Joel, actually (@PoorlyAgedWho) June 16, 2021
🤦♂️ It's not a long shot to suggest that "Wtf do we do ?" is a likely response from Boris Johnson to most of the decisions that he has to make as Prime Minister of the UK. https://t.co/PqKRf2AGXF
— Ross Colquhoun (@rosscolquhoun) June 16, 2021
The prime minister uses am instead of I’m.. https://t.co/4lLzRFrFBx
— Barry Haze (@Kwenergymmnt) June 16, 2021
Boris texting like it’s the night before his GCSE chemistry exam and he hasn’t revised https://t.co/No2gZm8Tfb
— Jason Okundaye (@jasebyjason) June 16, 2021
Cummings’ inability to take a screenshot on his phone also rankled a few people.
I am once again asking Dominic Cummings to learn how to screenshot https://t.co/y2Jay2WCzI
— Eve Livingston (@eve_rebecca) June 16, 2021
Please can someone teach Cummings how to screenshot????
— Áine O'Brien (@aineclareob) June 16, 2021
Dom Cummings can become the most influential dude in the UK without even knowing how to screenshot? Maybe I'm doing ok in life huh
— Kathryn Irish (@kathryn_irish) June 17, 2021
So, Dom Cummings thinks a screenshot is an actual photograph of the computer screen. This is so on-brand.
— Dan Kaszeta (@DanKaszeta) June 16, 2021
Johnson’s three missed calls also tickled a few people.
Imagine having the confidence to just miss three calls in a row from the Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/XqTKE5sJ6T
— Chris Curtis (@chriscurtis94) June 16, 2021
Not the most important point, but there's some strong "Cameron texting Sunak" energy to three missed calls at half past midnight https://t.co/PAHjojdMIk
— Tim Durrant (@timd_IFG) June 16, 2021
Tabloid Daily Star possibly won the contest for the best headline in relation to this story.
Daily Star currently the only paper in the UK with the correct political insight. pic.twitter.com/qcRffzScGk
— Jack Duncan🔻 (@JackDunc1) June 17, 2021
On a slightly more serious note, Hancock responded to the claims that he is “hopeless” with serious conviction by saying: “I don’t think so.”
