Nicola Sturgeon's SNP colleague piles on pressure over 'deleted' WhatsApps in damning statement
Kate Forbes has piled pressure on Nicola Sturgeon after admitting she has not deleted any of her pandemic WhatsApp messages
PA
Kate Forbes has piled pressure on Nicola Sturgeon after admitting she has not deleted any of her pandemic WhatsApp messages.
The former finance secretary told journalists that she had retained all WhatsApp correspondence.
Humza Yousaf claimed on Monday that the Scottish Government's social media policy at the time was to “routinely delete WhatsApp messages.”
But when asked about her messages, Forbes replied: “I have. I have not deleted anything, I've retained all relevant correspondence. And that includes retaining all my WhatsApp messages.”
The former finance secretary told journalists that she had retained all WhatsApp correspondence
PAForbes was also asked if she was surprised to hear Yousaf say the government’s policy was to delete messages.
The MSP said: “Well, I suppose my approach has been that where something is relevant to my role as minister, I have retained it.
“And if I could take a step back, and just quickly say that it's really critical that the Covid inquiries provide answers to all those that were affected during the Covid years.
"And I think that calls for the greatest possible source of information, correspondence and evidence, and so on.”
Sturgeon has repeatedly insisted that she had “nothing to hide” but has refused to reveal whether she has deleted WhatsApp messages in relation to the Covid pandemic.
However, over the weekend it was reported that key Covid-related messages sent by the had been wiped from her phone.
Last week, Jamie Dawson KC, counsel to the UK inquiry, said 70 Scottish government figures were asked for their WhatsApp messages, but "very few appear to have been retained".
He said this was "surprising" and that the "process of recovery had gone more slowly than expected".
Sturgeon has repeatedly insisted that she had “nothing to hide” but has refused to reveal whether she has deleted WhatsApp messages in relation to the Covid pandemic
PAWhen asked how often she used WhatsApp, Forbes said: “Very rarely. It's not something that I've used very often, I certainly didn't make any decisions about Covid via WhatsApp.
"And if you recall, I was fairly new in the door when Covid started. So still very much finding my feet.”
She added: “Well, I'm here on my own behalf, responding to questions that are being put. Obviously, the Covid Inquiry will run, has been running for a number of months.
“And all ministers and former ministers, like myself, will be obliged to give an account of our decisions that were made during the inquiry.”