Former deputy first minister John Swinney admitted today he has been “periodically” deleting his WhatsApp messages for more than a decade, in the latest revelation about poor record-keeping in the Scottish government during the pandemic.
Speaking at the Covid inquiry, Swinney defended his decision to delete records of conversations between him and senior ministers of civil servants, claiming that he was advised by his private office to “not hold information” that was “relevant to the government’s official records,” once it had been placed on that official record.
“Throughout my ministerial career, I have deleted material once I have made sure that any relevant information was placed on the official record of the government.”
