UK Covid Inquiry: Nicola Sturgeon facing calls to appear before Parliament over Whatsapp messaging furore

Nicola Sturgeon is facing calls to answer to the Scottish Parliament after the UK Covid Inquiry sitting in Edinburgh heard that the former First Minister, along with other Scottish Government officials, deleted all their WhatsApp messages relating to the Covid pandemic.

Nicola Sturgeon is facing calls to make a statement to MSPs in Holyrood over her pandemic WhatsApp messages.

The UK Covid Inquiry sitting in Edinburgh heard that the former First Minister, along with other Scottish Government officials, deleted all their WhatsApp messages relating to the Covid pandemic.

In evidence to the inquiry on Friday, Jamie Dawson KC, counsel to the inquiry, said “messages were not retained, they were deleted in routine tidying up of inboxes or changes of phones, unable to retrieve messages” in relation to Ms Sturgeon’s correspondence.

In 2021, during one of the regular Covid-19 briefings she held, Ms Sturgeon gave an assurance that correspondence – including messages – would be handed to any future inquiry.

Ms Sturgeon has since said that while her informal messages had not been retained on her own devices, they were later obtained and submitted to the inquiry last year, along with handwritten notes.

Writing on social media site X, formerly Twitter, Ms Sturgeon said she conducted her role through “formal processes”, not through Whatsapp.

“Contrary to the impression given in some coverage, the inquiry does have messages between me and those I most regularly communicated with through informal means,” she said.

“Although these had not been retained on my own device, I was able to obtain copies which I submitted to the Inquiry last year.

“To be clear, I conducted the Covid response through formal processes from my office in St Andrews House, not through WhatsApp or any other informal messaging platform. I was not a member of any WhatsApp groups.

“The number of people I communicated with through informal messaging at all was limited.

“Also, any handwritten notes made by me were passed to my private office to be dealt with and recorded as appropriate. Throughout the entire process, I acted in line with Scottish Government policy.”

However, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has now accused Ms Sturgeon of “deceiving” bereaved families after the inquiry was told on Friday that messages sent and received by the former SNP leader had been erased.

He has now written to Ms Sturgeon to demand she faces scrutiny in the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said the former first minister has to clarify whether she “misled bereaved families” and the UK Covid inquiry.

He said in a letter: “It is only right that you address these questions in a personal statement to the Scottish Parliament and face questions from MSPs in public.”

He added: “Lives and livelihoods hinged on decisions that you and your government were taking.

“By erasing the discussions that underpinned such decisions, however, you and others at the top of your government may have denied families the answers, the understanding and the closure that they have sought so desperately to obtain.

“Those grieving families, those failed, may be forever denied the full story behind the calls you made.”

Mr Cole-Hamilton urged Ms Sturgeon to also ensure MSPs are able to put questions to the former first minister following any statement.

Ms Sturgeon is set to appear before the UK Covid Inquiry in the coming fortnight.

Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith is set to appear before the inquiry on Monday, with National Clinical Director Jason Leitch and Devi Sridhar appearing on Tuesday.

On Thursday, First Minister Humza Yousaf and Alister Jack, alongside former chief-of-staff to Nicola Sturgeon, Liz Lloyd, will make an appearance.