Covid inquiry updates — Nicola Sturgeon reduced to tears again as she says sorry for deaths
NICOLA Sturgeon was reduced to tears as she apologised to the families of everyone who died in Scotland from Covid.
The former FM teared up at the UK Covid Inquiry as she was quizzed about her response to the virus in Scotland.
Jamie Dawson KC asked: “The story of Covid in Scotland is the story of the hubris of Nicola Sturgeon, is it not?”
However, Ms Sturgeon denied that suggestion, as she once again teared up while giving evidence.
She responded: “No. I do not believe that to be the case. I am in the fortunate position of not having personally lost anyone to Covid.
“I wish with every fibre of my being that the decisions my government had been able to take could have reduced the number of people in Scotland who did lose someone to Covid and I am deeply sorry to each and every bereaved person, and each and every person who suffered in other ways.
“I did my best, my government did our best, and people will judge that. But I know that every day, I tried my best and those working with me tried our best to steer this country through the Covid pandemic in the best way we could.”
The former FM fought back tears earlier as she revealed a "large part" of her wishes she hadn't been First Minister during the pandemic.
Mr Dawson quizzed Sturgeon on messages given to the inquiry between the former First Minister, Humza Yousaf and Liz Lloyd.
She admitted she DID delete WhatsApp messages as she faced a grilling during the inquiry.
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Sturgeon booed as she leaves inquiry
Protesters booed and shouted 'scum' at Nicola Sturgeon as she left the UK Covid Inquiry.
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That wraps up The Scottish Sun's coverage of Nicola Sturgeon at the UK Covid Inquiry.
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'We didn't get everything right with care homes'
Nicola Sturgeon admitted the Scottish Government didn't get everything right over care homes during the pandemic.
She said: "I do not think we got everything right around care homes and I regret that.
"It wasn't the case that we didn't think about the best way to try and protect people in care homes."
'I did my best'
Ms Sturgeon insisted she and her Government did their best to get Scotland through Covid.
She said: “I did my best, my government did our best, and people will judge that.
"But I know that every day, I tried my best and those working with me tried our best to steer this country through the Covid pandemic in the best way we could.”
'I will carry the regret of decisions I got wrong'
Pressed on her motivations for the decisions she made, Ms Sturgeon again got emotional at the inquiry.
She said: "For as long as I live I will carry the impact of these decisions, I will carry the regret at the decisions and judgements I got wrong."
Tearfully, she added: "But I will always know in my heart and in my soul that my instincts and my motivation was nothing other than trying to do the best in the face of this pandemic."
'I am deeply sorry to everyone who suffered'
An emotional Ms Sturgeon apologised to those who suffered and lost people during the pandemic.
Jamie Dawson KC asked: “The story of Covid in Scotland is the story of the hubris of Nicola Sturgeon, is it not?”
However, Ms Sturgeon denied that suggestion, as she once again teared up while giving evidence.
She responded: “No. I do not believe that to be the case. I am in the fortunate position of not having personally lost anyone to Covid.
“I wish with every fibre of my being that the decisions my government had been able to take could have reduced the number of people in Scotland who did lose someone to Covid and I am deeply sorry to each and every bereaved person, and each and every person who suffered in other ways."
'I never thought I could drive Covid out of Scotland'
Jamie Dawson KC asked the former FM: "You wanted to have the reputation, did you not, of being the person who had driven Covid out of Scotland?"
Ms Sturgeon replied: "I never thought I was capable of driving Covid out of Scotland. I hoped the decisions my government would take would keep Covid at the lowest possible level so it took the lives of fewer people, minimised the disruption to people's livelihoods and the education of children.
"I accept that there will be genuine and serious scrutiny about the content of decisions that were taken.
"My motives in this were only ever about trying to do the right thing to minimise the overall harm that the virus was doing.
"The toll it took in Scotland as in other parts of the UK was far too high so I didn't do that as successfully as I wish I had been able to."
Nicola Sturgeon gives evidence at the inquiryCredit: PA Independence mentioned in discussions about travel to Spain
Ms Sturgeon was asked about an email sent in July 2020 which suggested the Spanish Government would decide whether a decision to retain quarantine measures for those arriving from the country could be seen as a political one.
The document, addressed to Deputy First Minister John Swinney, warned: “There is a real possibility they will never approve EU membership for an independent Scotland as a result.”
But, Ms Sturgeon said: “These were decisions that were taken for public health reasons. They were difficult decisions, they were often very finely balanced decisions and if that concern had been the one driving the decisions, then presumably at great criticism not least from our own airport sector at the time, we wouldn’t have kept Spain off the travel corridors in the first place.”
'I take it personally when people question my motives'
An emotional Ms Sturgeon said: “I take it very personally when people question the very motives, because I know that the motives were absolutely in good faith and for the best reasons.”
Judge accuses sturgeon of 'playing fast and loose with the language' - over eradicated vs eliminated
Baroness Heather Hallett said it "sounds like people are playing fast and loose with the language" after Ms Sturgeon explained what experts told her was the difference between eradicated vs eliminated.
Sturgeon quizzed on ScotGov 'zero Covid policy?'
Jamie Dawson KC asked: “Was there a zero Covid policy in the Scottish Government in the summer of 2020?”
Ms Sturgeon responded: “There was a maximum suppression strategy, I think the phraseology that was used, and it was in, if not our first strategic framework, then later iterations of that, was suppress to the lowest possible level and keep it there.
“It is undoubtedly the case that we would have colloquially used terms like zero Covid and elimination, though emphatically not eradication, which was a very different concept, to describe that strategy in shorthand.”
Politicisation of pandemic would be 'betrayal'
Ms Sturgeon was forced to admit that the Scottish Government's politicisation of the Covid pandemic to push for Scottish independence would be a "considerable betrayal of the Scottish people", if the inquiry finds that was what happened.
She said: "I don’t believe that conclusion would fairly be reached because that’s not what I did.
“If I had at any point decided to politicise a global pandemic that was robbing people of their lives and livelihood and education opportunities and had decided in the face of that to prioritise campaigning for independence then yes absolutely it would have been as you described, which is precisely why I didn’t do it and wouldn’t have done it."
Sturgeon: We didn't 'jump the gun' on mass gatherings
Sturgeon denied claims she "jumped the gun" by banning mass gatherings in March 2020.
Michael Gove, the then UK cabinet minister, previously it caused "discomfort" in Whitehall.
She said: "I think by this point none of us were jumping the gun and we were arguably going more slowly than we should have.
"The public was ahead of the government in terms of the action we should have taken."
'My responsibility was the Scottish people'
When quizzed on her decision to impose a ban on mass gatherings, the former FM said her responsibility was "the Scottish people, not Boris Johnson".
The announcement came after a Cobra meeting.
She added that it was "essential".
'We knew virus was serious'
Sturgeon says the Scottish cabinet was hard at work in February and March 2020 when quizzed on the urgency of the outbreak.
She says she and her colleagues realised it was serious.
Sturgeon slammed over 'crocodile tears'
Pamela Thomas of the Scottish Covid Bereaved group lost her brother James Cameron.
She said: "I think too much of the inquiry time has been taken up with the deletion of the WhatsApp messages.
“I don’t think they are capable of telling the truth of being transparent like they are portraying they are.
“Her crocodile tears are not washing with me.
“If there are any tools available to my solicitor or the inquiry with regards to a criminal activity put in place then I would like them to use them all.”
Solicitor Aamer Anwar with Caroleanne Stewart and Pamela ThomasCredit: PA Catherine Calderwood 'key part' of Covid response despite rule break
Ms Sturgeon defends her attempt to keep Catherine Calderwood in the government despite her rule-breaking trip to Fife.
Says she was a "key part" of the response to Covid, and was "mindful of how disruptive it would be" to lose a CMO.
Sturgeon: 'I had high degree of trust in advice'
On advice given to Ms Sturgeon by people such as Jason Leitch, Mr Dawson asked: “Did you have a concern over this period that the people from whom you were getting advice were not sufficiently expert to deal with the threat?”
Ms Sturgeon responded: “No, I didn’t. The advice I got from all of these individuals, not just initially, but you know, in the case of two of them over the course of the pandemic, I had a high degree of confidence and trust in, and I think that confidence and trust was justified.”
Professor Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director for the Scottish GovernmentCredit: PA Inquiry returns from break
The inquiry is back from a short break and Nicola Sturgeon will continue to be quizzed by Jamie Dawson KC.
Sturgeon's 'carefully crafted image' left 'shattered'
Lawyer Aamer Anwar said: "Those who lost loved ones were led to believe that Ms Sturgeon would do everything possible to illuminate the truth, but Nicola Sturgeon stands accused of the betrayal of the many promises she made."