Coronavirus: UK’s first digital cabinet meeting takes place as three ministers self-isolate

Weekly meeting conducted via Zoom video-conferencing app

The coronavirus lockdown has turned video-conferencing service Zoom into a household name, as an app once used only by companies to hold virtual meetings has become a venue for families to chat, choirs and musicians to sing and play together and friends to enjoy a post-work drink.

But now it has also taken its place in history as the technology used for the United Kingdom’s first electronic cabinet meeting, allowing ministers to discuss the latest updates on the outbreak while observing official advice to work from home whenever possible.

Boris Johnson, who chaired the weekly meeting, was one of three ministers taking part while suffering from coronavirus, along with health secretary Matt Hancock and Scotland secretary Alister Jack.

Chief medical officer Chris Whitty, who is also self-isolating after showing symptoms of Covid-19, also dialled in to brief ministers on the latest situation.

Johnson, Hancock and Whitty were among just four people to attend the last session of cabinet last week, when most members took part remotely. It is not known whether this was the occasion when they picked up the virus.

The fourth, cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, has shown no signs of infection and was one of a handful of officials actually present around 10 Downing Street’s famous cabinet table for the virtual meeting.

It was the first time in the history of the UK government that a cabinet meeting has taken place with no ministers physically present in the room.

A picture of the virtual meeting released by No 10 showed Mr Johnson in the study at 11 Downing Street, where he is working during self-isolation, alongside 23 ministers in boxes on the screen.

The snap displayed the Zoom meeting ID, as well as the identities used by ministers to sign into the app – some of them using their names and others their titles.

While Mr Johnson is identified as “PM” and Priti Patel as “Home Secretary”, the foreign secretary appears as “Dom Raab” and the Leader of the House of Lords, Baroness (Natalie) Evans of Bowes Park as plain “Nat”.

Most were in smart casual attire, though Jacob Rees-Mogg stuck to his usual pinstripe suit and Gavin Williamson, Brandon Lewis and Alok Sharma had put on ties.

Notably, all of the ministers apart from Mr Johnson were muted at the time the picture was taken, with the exception of environment secretary George Eustice.

Downing Street brushed aside any security concerns over the use of the web-based app, after the Ministry of Defence last week banned it on security grounds.

“We are following all necessary security procedures in relation to video-conferencing calls, both in terms of cabinet and the morning meetings on the Covid-19 response,” said Mr Johnson’s official spokesman.