'VERY FEW MESSAGES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN RETAINED'

Sturgeon & Yousaf in secrecy storm after Covid Inquiry hears no vital WhatsApp texts have been handed over | First Minister fails to confirm if auto-delete was used in pandemic as families' lawyer calls revelation 'devastating'

- CHRIS McCALL

HUMZA Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon are at the centre of a secrecy row after claims that WhatsApp messages I wanted by the UK Covid Inquiry have been deleted.

The First Minister yesterday ordered an investigation after it was revealed top Holyrood officials had failed to hand over online communications relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

The bombshell claims came at the UK Covid Inquiry in London, which is examining how Scottish ministers handled the global health emergency.

Sturgeon led the Scottish response to the Covid crisis while Yousaf was a senior Cabinet member throughout the pandemic.

The inquiry heard yesterday that "very few messages appear to have been retained" by the Scottish Government and may have been deleted.

Claire Mitchell KC, who represents Scottish bereaved families at the UK probe, said: "We are extremely disappointed by the apparent failure by politicians and civil servants to retain messages and the seemingly widespread use of the autodelete function.

"This does not inspire confidence in the Scottish Government's approach to its full co-operation with this inquiry.

Quizzed at Holyrood yesterday Yousaf could not say whether ministers had switched on an autodeletion function on WhatsApp, which automatically removes messages after a set period.

In contrast, the UK Government has already handed over thousands of text messages and other electronic communications to the UK Covid Inquiry.

Yousaf told MSPs he had asked the Solicitor General to investigate the situation. He insisted the Scottish government had not broken the law and had passed over relevant information to the Covid Inquiry.