I Have Not Deleted Any WhatsApp Messages Relating to COVID-19, Claims Yousaf

The first minister said he would expect officials including the national clinical director and chief medical officer to have kept ‘relevant’ messages.

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf during a visit to the National Treatment Centre—Highland in Inverness, Scotland, on June 12, 2023. Paul Campbell/PA

Scotland’s first minister has said he has not deleted WhatsApp messages relating to the COVID-19 pandemic following press reports his predecessor and senior officials may have.

Last week, a note to the chair of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry from one of its counsels said the inquiry was of the belief that the “majority” of informal messages, including on WhatsApp had “not been retained.”