The two most senior figures in the SNP Government have been accused of misleading the Scottish Parliament by making false claims about when the UK Covid Inquiry requested crucial WhatsApp messages.
At First Minister’s Questions, Douglas Ross said Humza Yousaf and Shona Robison “have been caught red-handed in a cover-up”.
The First Minister denied this, claiming that his government had interpreted the inquiry’s request “too narrowly”.
Last night, the SNP Government published a timeline showing that they were repeatedly asked for WhatsApp messages by the UK Covid Inquiry over the last year, including in February, March, July and August.
However, last week, both Humza Yousaf and Deputy First Minister Shona Robison claimed that they had not been asked by the UK Covid Inquiry until September this year for WhatsApp messages.
The First Minister told the Scottish Parliament last week that “the [WhatsApp] messages were asked for in September, just a matter of weeks ago”.
The Deputy First Minister also told Parliament last week “it has been just over a month” since WhatsApp messages were requested.
Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross said: “The SNP’s statements about Covid WhatsApp messages are clearly contradictory.
“The two most senior people in the SNP Government stated repeatedly that the UK inquiry only requested WhatsApp messages in September, which has now been proven utterly false.
“This wasn’t a slip of the tongue from Humza Yousaf or Shona Robison. It wasn’t an honest mistake. It was deliberate.
“It’s crystal clear that the UK Covid Inquiry asked the SNP if WhatsApp messages existed last year.They asked for the messages themselves in February this year.And, again, in March, July and August.
“But the First Minister and Deputy First Minister claimed none of those requests happened. They knowingly made statements that were false.
“The SNP Government have been caught red-handed in a cover-up.
“Humza Yousaf and Shona Robison have misled the Scottish Parliament and betrayed grieving families who deserve answers.”