Scotland's National Clinical Director Denies Advising First Minister on Mask Rules, Deleting WhatsApps

Professor Jason Leitch faces scrutiny at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry over allegations of advising on mask rule avoidance and deleting messages.

• Scotland's national clinical director, Professor Jason Leitch, denied advising the current First Minister, Humza Yousaf, on how to avoid mask rules during the pandemic at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
• Leitch was questioned about a WhatsApp exchange from November 2021 where he told Yousaf to 'have a drink in your hands at all times' to be exempt from wearing a mask while standing and talking to people at an event.
• Leitch also denied having a 'pre-bed ritual' of deleting WhatsApp messages, describing it as a 'flippant exaggeration'. He stated that he deleted messages in line with the Scottish Government's policy on the use and retention of informal messaging.
• The inquiry has heard that former first minister Nicola Sturgeon and her deputy, John Swinney, did not retain messages, sparking a political storm over the retention of informal messages during the pandemic.
• Leitch's testimony comes as the UK Covid-19 Inquiry is probing the devolved administration’s response to the pandemic.

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