COVID: Damning WhatsApp messages show how Tory MPs looked after their gun-wielding friends
"Amazing what a bit of lobbying can do"
The Covid Inquiry has been telling of how Britain's most influential looked after their friends during the pandemic. And now more revelations have uncovered how politicians lobbied hard to ensure that hunting and shooting were exempted from Covid restrictions.
Protect the Wild recently reported on comments made by former deputy cabinet secretary Helena MacNamara. She gave a witness statement arguing that Johnson and his “macho” and “toxic” team gave more thought to hunting and shooting interests than they did women’s issues. On 28 November it was Cabinet minister Michael Gove's turn to comment on the handling of the pandemic. While he was being questioned, WhatsApp messages were shown as evidence. They proved just how far Tory politicians will go to protect the interests of their hunting friends.
The messages centre around Covid's 'rule of six' which was imposed by the government on the general population in September 2020. This meant that social gatherings of more than six people were prohibited. But grouse shooting and other bloodsports of hunting with guns were exempt from the rules - and now we know why.
We need to be VERY careful...'
The Inquiry showed messages from two different WhatsApp groups, one of which was called 'Shoot rules group'.
In the first set of messages, a person - whose name was redacted - said to Gove:
"we are still going round in circles on hunting as we don't have a policy locked down yet. There is however a new issue - Dom and Lee are minded not to exempt hunting and shooting. I think that's a bad idea. Nick Herbert (now chair of CA [Countryside Alliance]) was horrified and said would cause huge issue. I presume you are strongly in favour of exempting [hunting] but in way that it doesn't appear on face of regs."
Gove replied yes.
Then the other person said:
"... we need to be VERY [in capital letters, VERY] careful on how it is presented."
To which Gove responded:
"They're still shooting in Scotland.
Shooting is defensible economically and environmentally. Hunting not so much....."
[12/09/2020, 19:56:41] Name Redacted Hi DL we are stilT going round in circles on hunting as we don't quite have a policy locked down yet. There is however a new issue - Dom and Lee are minded to not exempt hunting and shooting. I think that's a bad idea. Nick Herbert (now chair of CA) was horrified and said would cause huge issue. I presume you are strongly in favour of exempting but in way that it
doesn't appear on face of regs [12/09/2020, 20:02:401 Michael Gove: Yes
[12/09/2020, 20:03:1611 Name Redacted
I I think we need to be VERY
careful on how it is presented..
[12/09/2020, 20:03:19] Michael Gove: They're still shooting in
Scotland [12/09/2020, 20:04:16] Michael Gove: Shooting is defensible
economically and environmentally
Fox hunting not so much..... [14/09/2020, 11:43:06] Will Burgon: https://twitter.com/
rehman_chishti/status/1305455985058816003?5=12
[14/09/2020, 11:43:40]
What's FORB? Freedom of
Religion ?
Name Redacted
[14/09/2020, 11:43:48]
Weird acronym to use
[14/09/2020, 11:44:14] Will Burgon: Freedom of Religion or Belief
[14/09/2020, 11:47:56] Will Burgon: https://twitter.com/
kate m proctor/status/1305458074564653057?s=12Amazing what a bit of lobbying can do'
The Inquiry then turned to the 'Shoot rules group' of WhatsApp messages. Nigel Adams, former MP for Selby and Ainsty from 2010 til 2023, asked in the chat whether there was any update on the regulations for shooting and hunting, to which a man with his name reducted replied:
"Yes. Regs made. Shooting fine. No upper limit. Not yet entirely clear on hunting.
Well done gentlemen."
Adams then asked what route was being permitted to allow shooting. The man with the redacted name replied:
"Shooting is in the 'relevant outdoor activities' and we hope trail hunting fits in 'sporting gatherings', but we aren't sure."
A couple of hours later, Adams then sent round a link to a Huffington Post article, which outlined that shooting was exempt from the rule of six, and bragged:
"Amazing what a bit of lobbying can do."
Hugo Keith, chief counsel to the Inquiry, interrogated Gove about the messages, asking:
"What lobbying led to this exemption for shooting and hunting?"
But in typical politician style, Gove completely avoided the question by talking about - of all things - whether a scotch egg was a substantial meal. Yes, really.
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