FORMER first minister Nicola Sturgeon and ex former deputy first minister John Swinney will give evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry today.
They will face questions on how the UK and Scotland specifically prepared for the outbreak of Covid-19, which led to multiple global lockdowns after it was first detected in China in late 2019.
Sturgeon is expected to appear on Thursday morning, while Swinney faces questions in the afternoon.
The session can be watched live on YouTube here.
On Wednesday, senior Scottish Government officials began giving evidence to the inquiry. They were quizzed on the years before the pandemic and any preparation for such an event.
Jeane Freeman (below), the former cabinet secretary for health and sport, said that while Scotland could have better handled the pandemic, there was ultimately “no plan” that could have helped the country cope with Covid-19.
She said: “There were certainly areas where Scotland could have been better prepared in terms of the underlying structure and delivery of all those recommendations.
“But Scotland, like other countries throughout the world, was dealing with a virus which was unknown and new.
“So in that sense, I don’t believe there is a plan that would have been possible that would have been able, in and of itself, to cope with Covid-19.”
The inquiry has made headlines amid a legal battle with the UK Government over the release of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps.
The inquiry’s chair, Baroness Heather Hallett, had requested Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and notebooks to be handed over in their entirety – but the Cabinet Office insisted that it could redact parts which it deemed to be irrelevant.
READ MORE: Staff at popular Glasgow bar told they will 'no longer receive real living wage'
Leaders of the devolved administrations, including Sturgeon, were also issued with requests.
Counsel acting on behalf of Scottish ministers said Sturgeon did not have any informal correspondence – which could include private messages, emails or diaries – that were relevant to the handling of the pandemic.
Sturgeon has previously said the pandemic was one of the hardest things she has ever had to deal with in her political career.
In her resignation speech as first minister, she said: “Leading this country through the Covid pandemic is by far the toughest thing I’ve done.
“It may well be the toughest thing I ever do. I certainly hope so.
“Now by no stretch of the imagination was my job the hardest in the country during that time.
“But the weight of responsibility was immense and it’s only very recently, I think, that I’ve started to comprehend, let alone process, the physical and mental impact of it on me.”
The inquiry will also hear from Sir Jeremy Farrar, former director of the Wellcome Trust and current chief scientist at the World Health Organisation.
He will be joined by Catherine Frances, director general for local government, resilience and communities at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel