Delivering the message: Press conferences

¶12.79. Daily press conferences on radio and television, led by government ministers, quickly emerged as the main means for making announcements and for updating the public – in all four nations – on the spread of the virus and how the governments intended to combat it. Such press conferences meant that announcements could reach exceptionally large audiences simultaneously. At a time when the vast majority of the public was required to stay at home, this was an effective means of communicating key messages and is to be encouraged. There were, however, some differences in how the four governments used their press conferences.

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¶12.80. The UK government's press conferences were viewed widely by the public, with 27 million people watching the Prime Minister's address on 23 March 2020, which announced the first UK-wide lockdown, and the UK government's daily press conferences drawing audiences of 10 million people at their peak.¹³³¹³³ INQ000252711_0018 para 78 On 23 June 2020, the UK government announced that daily press conferences would be replaced with ad hoc press conferences to "coincide with significant announcements".¹³⁴¹³⁴ 'Coronavirus: Daily Downing Street press conference scrapped', BBC News, 23 June 2020 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53155905; INQ000573838_0002) No press conferences were held during August 2020. Some witnesses considered that this sent the wrong signal to the public – that the virus was no longer important – particularly when viewed alongside the relaxation of restrictions at this time.¹³⁵¹³⁵ INQ000228384_0083 para 269(c) Press conferences became more regular again during subsequent waves of the virus and ultimately continued until 22 February 2022.

¶12.81. Press conferences also formed an important part of the Scottish Government's public communications strategy. From 22 March 2020 until the end of 2021, regular press conferences (also known as 'daily briefings') were held.¹³⁶¹³⁶ 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: First Minister's speech 22 March 2020', Scottish Government, 22 March 2020 (https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-update-first-ministers-speech-22-march-2020; INQ000369674) Ms Sturgeon personally led more than 250 daily briefings during this period.¹³⁷¹³⁷ INQ000339033_0180 para 559 The frequency of these briefings varied depending on infection rates, and they were scheduled to complement Covid-19 ministerial updates to the Scottish Parliament.

¶12.82. The Welsh Government held more than 230 press conferences during the pandemic.¹³⁸¹³⁸ INQ000327735_0109 para 427 Press conferences were delivered bilingually, in both English and Welsh.¹³⁹¹³⁹ INQ000371209_0092 para 296 Dr Andrew Goodall (Director General of Health and Social Services in the Welsh Government and Chief Executive of NHS Wales from June 2014 to November 2021, and Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Government from September 2021) explained that they were intended to be a "trusted source of information for people in Wales".¹⁴⁰¹⁴⁰ INQ000327735_0109 para 426 Press conferences were livestreamed on Welsh Government social media channels and broadcast on BBC Wales, with significant announcements drawing an audience of more than 200,000 people.¹⁴¹¹⁴¹ INQ000327735_0109 para 428 The decision to broadcast the press conferences on BBC Wales was described as a "game-changer" by Mr Mason, who stated:

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" [T]he decision of BBC Wales to televise those really, I think, made a huge difference, because they were – we were able to reach, then, people who may have been digitally excluded."¹⁴²¹⁴² Toby Mason 7 March 2024 64/6-12

¶12.83. In Northern Ireland, the Executive Information Service organised 115 press conferences, the vast majority of which were conducted jointly by Arlene Foster MLA (later Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee), First Minister of Northern Ireland from January 2016 to January 2017 and from January 2020 to June 2021, and Ms O'Neill.¹⁴³¹⁴³ INQ000381512_0022 para 117; INQ000262965 They were organised so that they would be covered live on BBC Radio Ulster, and in time for television news programmes to ensure coverage.¹⁴⁴¹⁴⁴ INQ000381512_0021 para 111

¶12.84. Following the attendance of Ms O'Neill at the funeral of Bobby Storey (see Chapter 11: Government decision-making, in this volume) in June 2020, Ms Foster refused to take part in joint press conferences with Ms O'Neill. This resulted in the cessation of joint press conferences for a period of approximately 10 weeks, until they restarted on 10 September 2020, the same day that the Northern Ireland Executive announced localised restrictions. Baroness Foster explained to the Inquiry:

" Personally I felt very upset about it all, and I didn't feel there was any credibility in going back to press conferences at that time. The press conferences began again in September. I think at that stage Michelle [O'Neill] had acknowledged the hurt that had been caused, I think was the phrase that was used at that time, and in particular the damage to messaging, and given where we were then going, I felt it was important that we started to give those public messages again."¹⁴⁵¹⁴⁵ Arlene Foster 15 May 2024 92/10-19

¶Ms O'Neill accepted that her attendance at the funeral damaged relations in the Northern Ireland Executive and led to the cessation of joint press conferences.¹⁴⁶¹⁴⁶ Michelle O'Neill 14 May 2024 140/10-25

¶12.85. Mr Swann explained that, while the joint press conferences were suspended, Department of Health (Northern Ireland) briefings were conducted, primarily by him in combination with Professor McBride and Professor Ian Young, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health (Northern Ireland) from November 2015.¹⁴⁷¹⁴⁷ INQ000412903_0084 para 271; INQ000262965 Mr Swann said that, while it was his view that the regular briefings by ministers, the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Adviser worked well, they:

" worked best and were strongest when they included the First Minister/deputy First Minister/Health Minister, on a united platform, as everyone had someone to listen to and identify with".¹⁴⁸¹⁴⁸ INQ000412903_0084 para 271

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¶12.86. The suspension of joint press conferences in Northern Ireland undermined the aim of delivering effective communications to the public. The Inquiry considers that, in the particular context of Northern Ireland, joint communications by the First Minister and deputy First Minister are likely to be the most effective format for public communications. When Ms O'Neill appeared before the Inquiry, she accepted that, with the benefit of hindsight, she should not have attended the funeral of Bobby Storey. She acknowledged that this contributed to tensions within the Executive Committee and damaged confidence in the response to the pandemic in Northern Ireland.¹⁴⁹¹⁴⁹ Michelle O'Neill 14 May 2024 18/6-12, 141/13-20, 187/1-2 She must bear responsibility for this and for her failure to apologise earlier for her attendance. It is highly regrettable that joint press conferences were suspended during this period and that she and Ms Foster were unable to resolve the impasse between them in the interests of Northern Ireland.

¶12.87. UK government ministers were accompanied at almost all press conferences by independent scientific or medical advisers. Initially, press conferences were led by Mr Johnson, with Professor (later Sir) Christopher Whitty (Chief Medical Officer for England from October 2019) and Professor Sir Patrick Vallance (later Lord Vallance of Balham), Government Chief Scientific Adviser from April 2018 to March 2023, presenting updates on the virus and responding to medical and scientific questions.

¶12.88. Witnesses involved in delivering the UK government's press conferences viewed the inclusion of both the ministerial decision-makers and expert voices in the press conferences as important to their credibility as a communications tool. Mr Cain told the Inquiry that the Chief Medical Officer and Government Chief Scientific Adviser:

" were more trusted than politicians because they were not political, becoming doctors to the nation at a time of national crisis".¹⁵⁰¹⁵⁰ INQ000252711_0018-0019 para 80

¶12.89. As Professor Whitty told the Inquiry:

" [T]he Prime Minister and wider Government accepted that the main benefit of me giving advice and opinions in public was that I was obviously free to say what I thought was technically correct. The public could therefore trust that the advice was a professional opinion rather than the Government line."¹⁵¹¹⁵¹ INQ000251645_0214 para 14.6

¶12.90. Some witnesses raised concerns that, by sharing a platform with the Prime Minister, the Chief Medical Officer and Government Chief Scientific Adviser might compromise the perception of their independence. For example, Professor Anthony Costello, Professor of Global Health and Sustainable Development at University College London, asked: "[W]as it wise, given their relative independence, to only ever be seen at the side of the Prime Minister?" and suggested that they should have given press conferences separately from politicians.¹⁵²¹⁵² INQ000281260_0053 para 210

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¶12.91. The Inquiry considers that this risk was outweighed by the confidence imparted when medical and scientific information was being delivered by those with the right expertise. Professors Whitty and Vallance also took appropriate steps to protect their independence by resisting pressure to take part in the daily press conference on 25 May 2020, following an earlier press conference by Mr Cummings in relation to his trip to Barnard Castle.¹⁵³¹⁵³ INQ000273901_0583; Simon Case 23 May 2024 154/11-155/19 Professor Vallance recorded in his evening notes that announcing new measures in that context would "undermine our credibility" and that, although some officials tried to "strong arm" them, both Mr Cummings and Mr Johnson recognised that the situation would be "too political for us".¹⁵⁴¹⁵⁴ INQ000273901_0583

¶12.92. In Wales, various individuals took part in the press conferences depending on their content, including the First Minister, the Minister for Health and Social Services and the Minister for Education. They were supported by senior officials, including the Chief Executive of NHS Wales, the Chief Medical Officer for Wales and the head of the Welsh vaccination programme.¹⁵⁵¹⁵⁵ INQ000327735_0109 para 427 Officials, including the Chief Medical Officer for Wales and the Chief Scientific Adviser for Health, also provided regular technical briefings to explain key developments, statistics and decisions to the media.¹⁵⁶¹⁵⁶ INQ000327735_0110 para 431 These supplemented the information provided through the ministerial press conferences.

¶12.93. In Northern Ireland, other Executive ministers occasionally joined the First Minister and deputy First Minister to explain non-health-related developments or interventions.¹⁵⁷¹⁵⁷ INQ000449440_0055 para 163 Over time, other stakeholders such as health professionals, the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Chief Executives of Invest Northern Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland also participated.¹⁵⁸¹⁵⁸ INQ000381512_0021-0022 paras 112-113 The inclusion of a broad range of expert advisers from different disciplines in press conferences, to explain scientific and medical matters as well as economic and social aspects of the response, contributed positively to the quality and credibility of the information being presented.

¶12.94. In Scotland, Ms Sturgeon chaired 98% of the 107 briefings to the end of August 2020 and led more than 250 briefings from March 2020 to the end of 2021, all of which were broadcast live and available to watch on the internet.¹⁵⁹¹⁵⁹ INQ000339033_0180 para 559; INQ000274154_0074 para 209 The Scottish Government's communications strategy relied heavily on Ms Sturgeon. There is evidence that Ms Sturgeon was seen by the Scottish public, at the time, to be careful, on top of her brief and in command of the Scottish Government's response to the pandemic.¹⁶⁰¹⁶⁰ INQ000274154_0075 para 212 This was reflected in polling, which suggested at the start of 2021 that 67% of adults in Scotland (aged 18 or over) trusted the Scottish Government to deliver information on Covid-19.¹⁶¹¹⁶¹ INQ000339033_0181 para 561; INQ000274154_0075 para 214 Humza Yousaf MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Justice from June 2018 to May 2021 and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care from May 2021 to March 2023) pointed out that the Scottish Government's communications strategy, focused as it was on Ms Sturgeon and the daily briefings, created "an extremely difficult burden for one person to effectively bear". He stated:

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" For future pandemics, while understanding the speed at which decisions have to be made, we should ensure that all Cabinet Secretaries, and where appropriate Ministers, are fully briefed about the rationale for decision making, so they too can be more fully involved in the public communication of the messaging when required."¹⁶²¹⁶² INQ000273956_0107 para 468

¶12.95. Mr Yousaf's suggestion that the burden for public health communications in future pandemics should be shared more widely is well founded. Utilising a wider range of communicators would build a broader base for the delivery of messaging and for resilience, and it would lessen the burden on the First Minister.

¶12.96. Ms Sturgeon's continued chairing of the daily briefings also drew regular criticism from opposition political parties and, on occasion, in the press, with the briefings being described as a "30-minute party political broadcast".¹⁶³¹⁶³ 'Nicola Sturgeon: Furious Tories demand daily briefings stop', The National, 3 July 2020 (https://www.thenational.scot/ news/18559602.nicola-sturgeon-furious-tories-demand-daily-briefings-stop; INQ000587974_0002) Ms Sturgeon was accused of using the daily briefings to build support for Scottish independence.¹⁶⁴¹⁶⁴ INQ000274154_0075 para 212; 'Nicola Sturgeon: Furious Tories demand daily briefings stop', The National, 3 July 2020 (https://www.thenational.scot/news/18559602.nicola-sturgeon-furious-tories-demand-daily-briefings-stop; INQ000587974_0002); 'Coronavirus in Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon's daily briefings "are deviating into party politics"', The Times, 5 September 2020 (https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/coronavirus-in-scotland-nicola-sturgeon-s-daily-briefings-are-deviating-into-party- politics-ftbm7dxtw; INQ000587937)Show full note Sharing the burden of public health communications more widely among senior decision-makers and advisers would also reduce the risk of polarisation among members of the public, either along political lines or through perceptions of an individual politician.

¶12.97. The experience across all four nations was that public communications worked well when there was a wider platform of individuals with relevant specialisms involved in delivering the message. Although it is clearly necessary for the Prime Minister or First Minister (and the deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland) to lead critical messaging – not least to underline its importance – all four governments should give careful consideration in future emergencies to including in press conferences such additional ministers, officials or experts as are appropriate to communicating the message.