SHOCKING BETRAYAL

» Outrage after Covid Inquiry is told all of Nicola Sturgeon’s WhatsApp messages have been deleted » Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton says it is one of the ‘biggest scandals in Scottish political history’

- PAUL HUTCHEON

NICOLA Sturgeon has been accused of a "shocking betrayal" after it emerged that all of her WhatsApp messages during the pandemic had been deleted.

Jamie Dawson KC, counsel to the UK Covid Inquiry, told the probe the former first minister had retained no messages "whatsoever".

The documents also indicate ex-deputy first minister John Swinney's WhatsApp messages were deleted manually or by using the app's auto-delete.

Shocked opposition parties united in condemnation, with Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton comparing Sturgeon with Richard Nixon and calling it one of the biggest scandals" in our political history.

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie said the "shocking betrayal" shows the lengths Sturgeon "is prepared to go to in order to prevent justice for Covidbereaved families".

Sturgeon's WhatsApp messages during the pandemic would have been critical in explaining why key pandemic decisions were made by the Scottish Government.

Mr Dawson told the inquiry: "Under the box 'Nicola Sturgeon', it says that messages were not retained, they were deleted in routine tidying up of inboxes or changes of phones, unable to retrieve messages.

"What that tends to suggest is, at the time that request was made, the former first minister of Scotland had retained no messages whatsoever in connection with her management of the pandemic."