Nicola Sturgeon denies secrecy and political motives during emotional evidence to UK Covid Inquiry

The former first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, admitted deleting WhatsApps, but said she ‘very rarely’ used informal messaging

Nicola Sturgeon denied adopting a secretive approach during the pandemic and insisted she did not seek to use the crisis to her political advantage as she occasionally fought back tears while giving long-awaited evidence to the UK Covid Inquiry.

The former first minister admitted deleting WhatsApp messages despite previously indicating to journalists that she would hand them over, but insisted she only “very rarely” used the mobile app with a “handful” of people.

Elsewhere, she rejected accusations the pandemic response was run on her “instincts”, or that she had “carte blanche” to make decisions without the approval of her wider Cabinet.

Nicola Sturgeon giving evidence to the UK Covid Inquiry

Aamer Anwar, the lead solicitor for the Scottish Covid Bereaved group, accused Ms Sturgeon of the “industrial deletion” of WhatsApps and said it ought to have been “blindingly obvious” that such contemporaneous messages may be relevant.

Ms Sturgeon told the inquiry she had not thought “less” about politics and independence than she did during Covid. “I want to say to people, and give this inquiry an assurance, that none of those decisions were influenced in any way by political considerations or by trying to gain an advantage for the cause of independence,” she said.

Senior UK minister Michael Gove previously suggested to the inquiry that Ms Sturgeon sought to diverge from the UK government at certain points during the pandemic to advance the SNP’s “political agenda” of destroying the union.

Ms Sturgeon said she would “strongly” reject accusations of politicising the pandemic. Visibly emotional, she said: “I take it very, very personally when people question the very motives because I know the motives were absolutely in good faith and for the best reasons.”

Earlier, the former first minister fought back tears as she admitted “a large part” of her wished she was never first minister during the Covid crisis. “At times in those early days I felt overwhelmed by the scale of what we were dealing with, and perhaps more than anything I felt an overwhelming responsibility to do the best I could,” she said.

"The idea that in those horrendous days, weeks, I was thinking of a political opportunity I find – well, it’s just, it wasn’t true.”

In a bruising closing exchange following a full day of evidence at the inquiry, which has been sitting in Edinburgh for three weeks, lead counsel Jamie Dawson KC put a series of accusations to Ms Sturgeon. “The story of Covid in Scotland is the story of the hubris of Nicola Sturgeon, is it not?” he concluded.

Ms Sturgeon responded: “No. I do not believe that to be the case. I am in the fortunate position of not having lost anyone to Covid. I wish with every fibre of my being that the decisions my government had been able to take could have reduced the number of people in Scotland who did lose someone to Covid.

“I am deeply sorry to each and every bereaved person, and each and every person who suffered in other ways. I did my best, my government did our best and people will judge that. But I know that every day I tried my best and those working with me tried their best to steer this country through the Covid pandemic in the best way we could.”

Ms Sturgeon had previously told the inquiry that work on independence was not restarted during the pandemic, despite minutes from a Cabinet meeting in June 2020 saying “consideration” should be given to this.

The inquiry was also shown an email – copied to the-then first minister and a number of senior figures – sent in July 2020 and connected to a meeting invite issued by the office of Ms Sturgeon’s former deputy John Swinney, but signed off by someone named Scott, which raised concerns about restricting travel to Spain.

“It won’t matter how much ministers might justify it on health grounds, the Spanish government will conclude it is entirely political; they won’t forget; there is a real possibility they will never approve EU membership for an independent Scotland as a result,” the email read.

Ms Sturgeon said independence was not a factor in decision-making, and she had no discussions of that nature. The Scottish Government later said the email was sent by a civil servant and not anyone communicating on Mr Swinney’s behalf.

Elsewhere, Ms Sturgeon denied the Scottish Government “adopted an approach of secrecy” in the early stages of the pandemic. However, she said with hindsight she would have taken a different decision around the disclosure of an outbreak at a Nike conference in Edinburgh in February 2020.

Dr Catherine Calderwood, the former chief medical officer, had told the Scottish Government the outbreak should not be disclosed on grounds of patient confidentiality.

Ms Sturgeon said not locking down “a week, two weeks earlier” at the start of the pandemic is a chief regret.

She earlier confirmed she deleted her WhatsApp messages, but said she did not use informal messaging to make decisions.

She told the inquiry: “I have not said, and I’m not saying today, that I never used informal means of communication. What I am saying is that I did so very rarely and not to discuss issues of substance or anything that could be described as decision-making.”

She said she exchanged messages with no more than a “handful” of people, and was not a member of any groups, with now First Minister Humza Yousaf, and her former chief of staff, Liz Lloyd, the main people she communicated with in this way.

Ms Sturgeon said she deleted these informal messages, in line with official advice, and “salient” points were all recorded on the corporate record. “I operated from 2007, based on advice, the policy that messages, business relating to government, should not be kept on a phone that could be lost or stolen and insecure in that way, but properly recorded through the system,” she said.

The inquiry was shown messages between Ms Sturgeon and Ms Lloyd showing the former SNP leader saying she was “having a crisis of decision-making” over hospitality and adding “it’s all so random” when discussing restrictions on restaurants.

Ms Sturgeon wrote: “I am having a bit of a crisis in decision-making in hospitality, not helped by the fact I haven’t slept. The public health argument says stick with 6pm/no alcohol for level 3. But I suspect the industry will go mad – and I worry we could derail debate.”

Ms Sturgeon told the inquiry she did not think there was anything in the exchange that would not be recorded in Cabinet minutes or in the public record.

She said: “This is why I don’t think WhatsApp should be used to have substantial discussions – four years on we can put on a different interpretation. But there were moments that whatever we would do, would cause difficulty and harm for somebody.”

In August 2021, Ms Sturgeon was asked by a journalist, Channel 4’s Ciaran Jenkins, if she would disclose all her personal emails and WhatsApps to an inquiry, and she said she would. Ms Sturgeon said she had been trying to address the “substance” of the question, but apologised if her answer was not “as clear”.

She assured the inquiry it had access to all information that was “germane” to her decision-making.

Several figures in Ms Sturgeon’s Government have already faced questions at the inquiry about their deletion of WhatsApp messages during the pandemic. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack is due to give evidence on Thursday.