The Holyrood WhatsApp drama can now be upgraded from ‘mystery’ to ‘scandal’. As if not handing over important messages wasn’t bad enough, the First Minister and his deputy have today been accused of misleading the Scottish parliament on the UK Covid Inquiry. It seems pantomime season starts early north of the border…
Yousaf and deputy first minister Shona Robison told the Chamber last week that the Scottish government had only been asked for Covid WhatsApp messages in September. It now turns out this isn’t quite the case. After the Covid Inquiry requested the Scottish government set out the timeline of events in full, it became clear that it had first requested messages in February — seven months earlier than Yousaf had initially claimed. Mr S doesn’t have the greatest faith in the Scottish Government’s arithmetic skills, but even he can’t quite believe this was an accidental slip up…
Today’s developments come after taxpayer-funded apparatchik Scottish government repeatedly told Steerpike that it ‘does not have a culture of routinely using informal communications, including WhatsApp, to make policy decisions’. Yet Mr S has seen messages exchanged on Twitter of all places discussing decisions on where testing centres should be set up — from the former health secretary, no less. Small fry, but surely it wouldn’t hurt the government to just admit it?
Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Tories, has said it’s ‘clear that the First Minister and Deputy First Minister misled Parliament last week’ and has demanded that both ‘must immediately set the record straight’. Former SNP MP Angus MacNeil said that ‘they should both clear this matter up asap[sic]’, while deputy leader of Scottish Labour Jackie Baillie added: ‘The only thing clearer is the extent to which this shambolic government has lost control trying to cover up the truth and obstruct those seeking it.’ Ouch.
Mind you, it’s not just Holyrood that’s facing questions over missing WhatsApps. Down in Cardiff Bay, Mark Drakeford’s government was today forced to admit that he did, in fact, have the app downloaded on his advice — despite having previously claimed that he didn’t. Looks like those WhatsApp wars are not just confined to those wicked Tories in Westminster…
Comments