Covid WhatsApp groups 'to discuss coffee orders, not pandemic policy'

Lord Bethell said that «it can't be that important decisions are made on WhatsApp». Photo: Roger Harris Photography

Using Covid WhatsApp groups, senior government officials were supposed to discuss coffee orders, not pandemic policy, said the former health secretary.

Lord Bethell, who was in charge of health Biological Sciences between March 2020 and September 2021, insisted that important decisions were made in formal meetings amid a row between the government and the Covid investigation.

The cabinet is preparing to take the investigation to court after , as Baroness Hallett, its chairman, demanded Boris Johnson's unredacted messages during the pandemic.

Although Mr. Johnson is now taking them directly to the investigation, the ministers believe that «important principles», including privacy, are at stake and refuse to cooperate with the publication of «definitely irrelevant» information relating to people's private lives.

Asked if he was concerned about being asked to post his own messages, Lord Bethell said on BBC Radio 4's Today: «Not really, because most WhatsApp messages are about coffee and who needs what coffee for what meeting. . . Most of them are about foam, not about meaningful decision making.”

Asked if any decisions were made or discussed on the platform, a Conservative colleague replied: “I mean, decision-making was done through a system of red boxes with official introductions by officials, minutes of meetings between ministers and officials and extremely a well-organized Whitehall machine.

“It can't be that big decisions are being made about WhatsApp. This claim was made by people who were selling stolen WhatsApp and it's just not right and we should stop doing it.»

Earlier this year, The Telegraph lock files, based on more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages between Matt Hancock, the former health secretary, and other ministers and officials, showed the extent to which key policy areas were discussed on the platform.

< p > Mr Hancock wrote in one group chat: «Let's use this when we need to move fast» while Mr Johnson was told «not worth arguing» with Nicola Sturgeon over face masks at school , prompting them to submit for the first time.

The investigation prompted the Office of the Information Commissioner to warn of the risks associated with the use of the platform by high-profile politicians, especially regarding transparency.

«Totally within the rules»,

Rishi Sunak's spokesman said in March that it is «not uncommon» for Mr Sunak to communicate via WhatsApp, with his spokesperson adding: «The rules state that ministers can discuss government affairs via text messages or WhatsApp, this is completely within the rules, understandably part and parcel of modern government.»

Downing Street insisted that it was still required that «substantial decisions» be communicated to ministers' private offices.