NIC V BOJO

CAMPBELL COMPARES PERFORMACES AS GOVERNMENTS PREPARE TO PART WAYS ON LOCKDOWN

Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell has said that Nicola Sturgeon has exposed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s biggest weaknesses during the current corona crisis.

Campbel l, Downing Street’s former communications boss, said the First Minister’s standing has been raised down south because she knows her stuff and delivers it clearly.

Campbell said: “Viewed from London, Sturgeon has been dominant. Johnson has been cavalier in his dealings with Edinburgh.

“Sturgeon was quicker to see the seriousness of the threat, quicker to close things down and pushed for lockdown, just as now she is resisting early release.”

However, the writer and commentator, who worked for former PM Tony Blair and managed a number of crises including 9/11, the Iraq War and foot and mouth disease, said both leaders have been left lacking on PPE and testing.

While Sturgeon speaks every day at her TV news briefing, Johnson, perhaps as a result of his time in hospital after catching Covid-19, has not been at the forefront of managing the crisis, sending out inexperienced ministers to answer questions.

Campbell said: “Johnson has been erratic, relying far too much on the qualities he likes to show best – energy, optimism, snappy one-liners and British exceptionalism.

“Sturgeon has become much more enmeshed in detail than Johnson, and the experts therefore come across as genuine experts rather than political echoes.”

Campbel l said Sturgeon’s compassion comes across. He said: “The only time Johnson has really expressed empathy was for the NHS staff who looked after him.”

This evening, Johnson will face his biggest test if he chooses a different path out of lockdown for England.

Campbell added: “Johnson has the chance to show the seriousness, humility and organisational nous to have what it takes to lead in a crisis. I am not holding my breath.”

Here, Campbell uses his 10 rules of crisis management to compare the actions of Johnson’s UK Government and Sturgeon’s Scottish Government in this crisis.