Muddle and confusion at the heart of Downing Street is a danger to us all – Angus Robertson

Crisis communication is critical when lives are literally at stake. Words matter. Announcements affect behaviour. In a pandemic public behaviour raises or lowers the risk of transmission of the deadly Covid-19 virus. Any communications professional would advise the same. Messages need to be: clear – concise – understandable. On all these counts the UK Government has failed.

Heaven help friends and relatives in England trying to make sense of the dog’s breakfast of the coronavirus announcement by Downing Street. Not only was it heavily miss-trailed in the tabloids it was hashed up by the blustering Boris Johnson in his broadcast by omission and commission. The confused message was bad enough for people in England and it was utterly irresponsible that at no stage in his broadcast did Johnson even attempt to explain what was relevant in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

No wonder the public in England, and the rest of the United Kingdom is unimpressed. In a supersized snap poll conducted across the UK by YouGov for Good Morning Britain 91 per cent of the public understand the “Stay at Home” message while only 30 per cenbt understand new “Stay Alert” message for England. The survey found that 63 per cent believe only the “Stay at Home – Protect the NHS – Save Lives” makes it clear what we are supposed to do.

In Scotland the poll findings were overwhelming, with a subsample six-times the normal size for a UK poll, there was 60 per cent opposition to UK Government changes, 60 per cent believe the changes go too far and 72 per cent believe only the “Stay Home” message clear.

None of this seems to have penetrated Downing Street, where muddle and confusion continues to reign. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was despatched to conduct a round of network broadcasting interviews, but instead of providing clarity, he worsened the confusion.

In England, people were being encouraged to go back to work if they could at the start of the week. Raab updated the message to say that that is now Wednesday. If that was the plan, why didn’t Johnson make this clear in his 12-minute long address? Too late for thousands of people in London who took the Underground to travel to work. This cannot be safe or sensible. He went on to make further misleading and incorrect statements.

With top UK Government ministers not even knowing what their policy is, how on Earth should the public understand. Without adequately explaining what are only measures affecting England, they are confusing things for people in the other nations of the UK. Perhaps however, we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, the Prime Minister didn’t properly involve the Cabinet. He recorded his TV message before meeting with them on a video call and the finalised 50-page lockdown strategy for England was printed before they met.

At least in Scotland we are getting appropriate and understandable advice from the Scottish Government. As London doctor Dr Julia Prague made clear on social media: “As a frontline NHS doctor I please with you, PLEASE: Ignore Boris – Listen to Sturgeon – Save Lives.”

In the meantime, don’t lose sight of the fact that much of what is happening in Downing Street actually relates to the furlough scheme which is keeping hundreds of thousands of people’s heads above the financial water line. Wonder if the UK government will keep it running in Scotland if the ‘Stay at Home’ message remains?