Labour accuses SNP ministers of deleting covid WhatsApp messages on an 'industrial scale'

Labour has accused SNP ministers of deleting WhatsApp messages relating to the covid pandemic on an "industrial scale".Jackie Baillie claimed today it was "inconceivable" that former senior government figures like Nicola Sturgeon would not have been aware of the importance of retaining such communications for future use.It comes as Shona Robison, the Deputy First Minister, attempted to explain why the Scottish Government had not yet handed over the "informal communications" it had been asked for by the UK Covid Inquiry.She pledged that 14,000 unredacted WhatsApp communications would be shared with the inquiry by November 6 - but it is not clear how many other covid messages have already been lost.Baillie, Scottish Labour deputy leader, said: "Evidence taken at the UK covid inquiry today demonstrates why transparency in government is just so important."People were discharged to care homes without testing, too many people died, and people lost their livelihoods.

So we absolutely need to understand why decisions were taken, and what happened, so we can learn lessons for the future."Bereaved families were promised nothing less than full co-operation by the Scottish Government with both the UK and Scottish inquiries - yet they have been treated with disrespect."Promised transparency, and a guarantee from the First Minister, that all messages would be handed over.

But instead the government, and individual ministers, have so far failed to deliver."Messages from those closest to the decision-making have been destroyed on an industrial scale.

What we've seen instead can only be construed as deliberate and coordinated withholding of information."A public inquiry was talked about in May 2020.