FMQs: Recap as Humza Yousaf is grilled on Covid WhatsApp messages
Recap what happened at FMQs.
FMQs: Recap what happened
Key Events
- The Scottish Government is under fire for potentially deleting WhatsApp messages during the pandemic
- Humza Yousaf, whose in-laws are still trapped in Gaza, has announced more Scottish aid funding for the region
- We are also expecting questions on NHS waiting lists, dentistry, firework safety, and public transport.
Welcome to FMQs!
Welcome to our live blog for first minister’s questions. I’m Rachel Amery and I’m The Scotsman’s political correspondent - I’ll be with you for the next hour to bring you all the latest from FMQs, which kicks off at midday.
Quick catch-up before we start
It has been a busy week in Scottish politics, so lets take a quick recap before FMQs starts.
- A new poll suggests SNP voters are drifting over to Labour ahead of the next general election: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/snp-voters-shifting-towards-labour-ahead-of-general-election-poll-suggests-4394115
- Edinburgh City Council is set to declare a housing emergency, saying around 5,000 people are in temporary accommodation every single night: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/edinburgh-council-to-declare-a-housing-emergency-as-building-costs-and-homelessness-numbers-soar-4394446
- The Scottish Government is embroiled in a row over potentially deleted WhatsApp messages from during the pandemic: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/whatsapp-covid-row-what-assurances-did-nicola-sturgeon-give-where-are-scottish-government-whatsapp-messages-what-questions-remain-for-covid-inquiry-4389795
- On top of this, we have an exclusive revealing that the government’s Microsoft Teams messages are automatically deleted after five days: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/microsoft-team-chat-messages-within-scottish-government-auto-delete-after-just-five-days-4394360
- This will be Ash Regan MSP’s first FMQs as an Alba MSP. The Scottish Greens have hit out at her being moved into an office on their corridor: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/green-msps-raise-concerns-about-sharing-corridor-with-turncoat-msp-ash-regan-4394408
As predicted, Douglas Ross is going on the Covid WhatsApps. He says it looks like the government has built a bonfire to get rid of the evidence.
Humza Yousaf says the government’s policy was made clear to ministers, officials and cabinet secretaries that anything relevant to the inquiries needed to be retained, which is why they are handing over 14,000 messages to the inquiry and why 19,000 documents have already been handed over.
And then a swift dig at the former prime minister Boris Johnson and his messages during the pandemic - always good to try and shift the blame somewhere else.
Has Nicola Sturgeon broken the law?
Douglas Ross asks the First Minister if he accepts that if Nicola Sturgeon has deleted her WhatsApp messages she will have broken the law.
Mr Yousaf is very keen to defend the former first minister here, saying she stood up day after day during the pandemic to give daily coronavirus briefings.
This has resulted in a lot of grumbling from the opposition benches, with Russell Findlay shaking his head in his hands and Stephen Kerr being told off by Presiding Officer Alison Johnston for shouting.
Douglas Ross says he cannot believe he is defending Nicola Sturgeon.
Humza Yousaf very keen to shift the spotlight from him to Boris Johnson, saying that we have seen “utterly scathing, damning evidence of the UK Government’s mishandling of the pandemic”.
This is something our Westminster Correspondent Alexander Brown has been looking at - read his latest analysis on this here: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/covid-inquiry-dominic-cummings-uses-harshest-language-possible-as-he-throws-boris-johnson-and-government-under-the-bus-4392860
Deputy First Minister Shona Robison pointing out over Humza Yousaf that some within the government lost members of their families to Covid-19 - this is because Douglas Ross accused the government of failing bereaved families.
Mr Yousaf says he can give these families the “absolute assurance” they will cooperate with the inquiry - and again pushing the spotlight back onto the Conservatives in Westminster and partygate scandal in Downing Street.
We’ve done a lot on the WhatsApps in the past week - take a look at this explainer from our Deputy Political Editor Conor Matchett: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/whatsapp-covid-row-what-assurances-did-nicola-sturgeon-give-where-are-scottish-government-whatsapp-messages-what-questions-remain-for-covid-inquiry-4389795
Labour also go in on WhatsApp messages
Unsurprisingly Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has also gone in on the missing WhatsApp messages.
Humza Yousaf can’t use the tactic of pointing out how bad the Conservatives were in Westminster on this one.
Anas Sarwar says Humza Yousaf is missing the point - he is the First Minister and is therefore responsible for all ministers and officials, not just his own actions.
He said back in June he had asked if all ministers and officials had complied with the do-not-destroy notices and would guarantee that all messages would be handed over in June, to which Humza Yousaf said: “Yes, they will.”
Mr Sarwar said: “There was no equivocation, no caveats, and no gray areas - but we now know the messages have been deleted.
“It’s up to the judge to decide what is relevant, not individual ministers.
“This is about the conduct of the Scottish Government.”
He asked how many of the 70 ministers and officials failed to comply with the do-not-destroy notices, and how many deleted their WhatsApp messages.
Mr Sarwar says this shows Mr Yousaf doesn’t have control over his government, and asks why he should be held to a lower standard than the Conservatives in Westminster.
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