Jason Leitch deleted all his covid WhatsApp messages during pandemic but denies it was 'pre-bed' ritual

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Scotland’s national clinical director deleted every Whatsapp message he sent during the pandemic on the response to covid.In a statement, Jason Leitch said he did not retain any one-to-one messages in line with Government guidance at the time, other than Twitter direct messages.He also told the UK Covid Inquiry he had been “flippant” when he said deleting WhatsApp message had been a ritual at bed-time.Senior Scottish Government figures are under huge pressure over the mass deletion of messages during the pandemic.Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon did not retain her messages and Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith frequently erased his as well.Leitch, one of the key Government communicators during the pandemic, told the Inquiry in written statement:"Except for direct messages from my Twitter account, I have not retained any one to one informal communications in relation to the management of the pandemic in Scotland."He was also asked about a message he had sent about describing deleting WhatsApp messages as a "pre-bed ritual".He said: "It was a flippant exaggeration in an informal messaging group.

It wasn't done every day before I went to bed."He told the Inquiry the rules were to keep "salient" information and put it into the corporate record before deleting the messages.To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.This is a breaking news story - more to follow.

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