DOUGLAS Ross has written to Nicola Sturgeon demanding she reveals whether she deleted WhatsApp messages, accusing her of a “lack of candour”.
The former first minister is under scrutiny over a report in the Sunday Mail which claimed she had deleted messages which could be relevant to the inquiry.
Sturgeon has insisted she has “nothing to hide” and claimed earlier this week that she “did not manage the Covid response by WhatsApp”.
The Scottish Government is in the process of handing over 14,000 messages from politicians and civil servants to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has previously said the Government “had a social media messaging policy that required us to routinely delete WhatsApp messages”.
Now Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has written to Sturgeon to demand she “come clean” on whether she had deleted messages.
Nicola Sturgeon cannot persist with her pitiful stonewalling now that her bogus ‘confidentiality’ excuse has been exposed. If her already shredded reputation is to retain a semblance of credibility, she must finally come clean on whether she deleted key messages👇 pic.twitter.com/eo6oEyvebd
— Douglas Ross MP MSP (@Douglas4Moray) November 3, 2023
He wrote: “Your lack of candour is an insult to those who lost loved ones in the pandemic. It's in the public interest that you immediately reveal once and for all whether you deleted messages and, if so, when.
“Did you delete them after you had announced that a Covid inquiry would be established?
“Were the messages deleted before, or after, the do not destroy notice issued by the Scottish Government?
“I would request that you address these questions publicly or, under rule 13.1.1 of the Scottish Parliament's standing orders, make a personal statement to parliament as soon as possible.
“You have previously claimed that you have nothing to hide and are committed to 'full transparency’.
“If this is true, you should come clean on this WhatsApp issue immediately.”
A spokesperson for Sturgeon said: "In the interests of everyone who has been impacted by the covid pandemic, Nicola is committed to full transparency to both the UK and Scottish Covid inquiries.
"Any messages she had, she handled and dealt with in line with the Scottish Government’s policies.
“She will continue to provide all information requested by the inquiry that she holds and will continue to cooperate fully.
“She has recently submitted her third written statement to the UK inquiry - running to around 200 pages - and expects to give oral evidence again next year when she will answer all questions put to her.”
