Covid inquiry lawyers ask for Sturgeon's messages

Lawyers representing bereaved families in the Covid-19 inquiries have demanded clarity on former first minister Nicola Sturgeon's WhatsApp messages.

Counsel acting on behalf of Scottish ministers said Ms Sturgeon did not have any relevant informal correspondence.

However, lawyers for the bereaved said it should be up to inquiry officials to decide what was considered relevant.

This could include private messages, emails or diaries regarding the handling of the pandemic.

Aamer Anwar is the lead solicitor for the Scottish Covid Bereaved group.

The group has made further legal submissions to the UK Covid Inquiry calling for all unredacted WhatsApp messages and other relevant materials to be provided.

The Covid inquiries are intended to help government officials and the public work out what ministers got right and wrong - before, during and after the pandemic.

In a new statement, Mr Anwar said a request "should be made of Scottish ministers to provide to the inquiry any communications held by informal means in order that the primary relevance test can be carried out by this inquiry".

He said: "The government is, and should be, answerable to the people, this applies to both the Scottish government as well as the UK government.

"We were advised by the Scottish ministers' counsel that Nicola Sturgeon has advised them she does not have such informal messages - i.e. WhatsApp messages.

"Today we have sought full clarity from the UK and Scottish Inquiry as to what has happened to Ms Sturgeon's WhatsApp messages, and why they are not being disclosed in their entirety.

"Ms Sturgeon and other Scottish ministers should be in no different of a position to that of Mr Johnston, Rishi Sunak or Matt Hancock - the job of establishing the relevance is a matter for this inquiry.

"We have said before and say it again, no individual, no matter how powerful, can be allowed to interfere with the pursuit of truth, justice and accountability in this inquiry.

"Those who lost their lives to Covid-19 deserve nothing less."

Ms Sturgeon will give evidence to the Scottish inquiry at a later date, alongside former deputy first minister John Swinney, health secretary Jeane Freeman and Scotland's former chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood.

It comes as a transparency row erupts between the UK inquiry and the Westminster government after WhatsApp submissions from senior aides had been redacted.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson said he would give unredacted WhatsApp messages dating back to May 2021 directly to the Covid inquiry.

This will bypass the UK government which has refused to hand them over.

The Cabinet Office has launched a legal challenge to the inquiry's demand for texts from the former prime minister and officials, arguing that many of the messages are irrelevant to the investigation.

It said they needed to protect the privacy of ministers and others.